The Cantanhede Municipal Civil Protection Service destroyed 793 nests of the Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) in 2025, and this year, between January and June, it has already eliminated 163 nests, including primary and secondary nests, it was revealed today.
In a press release sent to the Lusa agency, the Cantanhede City Council, in the Coimbra district, states that the number of nests eliminated “has been increasing”, rising from 497 in 2022 to 607 in 2023, 791 in 2024 and 793 in 2025.
“This evolution is explained, in part, by the increase in awareness and sensitivity of the population to the presence of Vespa velutina (commonly also identified as the Asian hornet), a result of the information and awareness-raising actions promoted by the Municipal Civil Protection Service,” it states.
“The largest number of Vespa velutina nests identified has been recorded, “consistently over the last few years,” in the parishes of Cantanhede and Pocariça, which is justified “by the higher population density of these localities.”
Most nests are found in trees, hedges or on the ground, notes the municipality, pointing out that, during the first six months of this year, “it is common for nests to be identified and eliminated in homes and other buildings, since it is in these places that the founding wasps build the primary nests, where the first brood of the colony develops”.
The Municipality indicates that the control actions carried out by the Municipal Civil Protection Service depend on reports from citizens and other entities, after which a report is logged on an incident management platform (FLOW), with “as soon as possible the team assigned to this service goes to the site and executes the intervention following a preliminary assessment”.
The Municipal Civil Protection Service also places traps during the period when the founding queens come out of hibernation and begin to build primary nests, in order to capture the majority of them and, thus, “to prevent or reduce the development of more colonies”.
“These procedures allow complete control over the interventions to be carried out, as well as the status of each registered nest,” it notes.
In the same note, the Cantanhede City Council states that it intends to “continue the work it has been carrying out since 2015,” reinforcing the call to residents to report Asian hornet nests.
Reporting should be done via the number 231 423 818 (between 09:00 and 17:00 from Monday to Friday) or via the email address [email protected].
