Its thorax is black and hairy, its legs yellow at the ends: in just a few years, the Asian hornet has become the number one fear of summer visitors. Originally from Asia, the pest was accidentally introduced into the Lot et Garonne department in 2004 via a container of pottery from China. It is now present throughout France, according to data listed by the National Inventory of Natural Heritage. Only the East of France is relatively spared for the time being.
Often compared to wasps, Asian hornets are much more dangerous than the latter, both in terms of their venom and their aggressiveness. Every week, Asian hornets claim new summer victims. Not to mention the disastrous effects of their proliferation, since the hornets feed abundantly on bees. “There is a real fear around the hornets, and fortunately, I almost want to say”, slips Younès Sebbar, insect repellent in Gironde. “Because an undestroyed nest generates several hundred hornet queens the following year,” he explains. It is the only pest that we eliminate without qualms”.
Still, the fight against the hornet has a cost. If in the regulatory texts it is specified that “the prefect of the department can order the destruction of nests on private properties as soon as the presence of the hornet is proven”, in fact, the elimination of nests does not constitute a mission of Public Service. This means that individuals must pay for the use of a professional themselves. Unless the community – the department, or the municipality – agrees to cover part or all of the bill. This is the case in several departments, such as those of Manche, Eure, or Alpes-Maritimes for example.
The price of the services varies greatly depending on the territory. In Île-de-France, the company Rattus, which carries out around thirty interventions per day on average, advances a range of 150 to 300 euros per nest. In the Eure, the professionals questioned oscillate between 85 and 150 euros. “The price of the interventions is not fixed arbitrarily, it depends on the season – destroying a nest in summer costs less than in winter – and accessibility”, argues Younès Sebbar. Bills him for the operation between 120 and 150 euros. It takes between half an hour and an hour of intervention, in addition to travel. If the entrepreneur does not practice an estimate, he ensures to play the card of transparency. “I give customers all the information by phone beforehand, including the price,” he says.
Individuals in distress are spoiled for choice when it comes to soliciting a professional. In addition to the beekeepers who are often mobilized in the destruction of nests, insect repellents specializing in Asian hornet are now legion. “When I moved to the region ten years ago, we were twenty insect repellents. Today, we are fifty”, underlines Younès Sebbar.
The spread of various exotic species – Asian hornets and ladybugs, tiger mosquitoes… – has given rise to vocations. And drifts. Michèle and her husband paid the price. “We requested the intervention of a professional for a nest last year”, explains the young retiree. “Without a quote or prior discussion”, the insect repellent charged them 350 euros for the operation, a particularly steep price compared to the average price charged by competitors. “The nest was at human height, at the primary stage, since we were at the beginning of July and very easily accessible”, she supports. In view of these criteria, the operation should have cost barely a hundred euros. “This is indeed what a beekeeper friend confirmed to us”, concludes Michèle, who regrets having “let herself be guided by fear”.
“Of course there are scams, as in all sectors, concedes Younès. But this is not the case for the majority of professionals who practice. In general, as soon as the customer starts asking questions, something is wrong. The effects of nest destruction are in principle immediate, unlike more complex treatments, such as those targeting tiger mosquitoes or bed bugs. Regarding prices, it is impossible to say whether professionals are more greedy when the bill is paid by local authorities. These are not particularly vocal about the budget allocated to this crusade against the pest. Individuals can nevertheless note that a growing number of communities have decided to take the plunge, despite a sometimes tight municipal budget.
Because the passivity of individuals remains the obsession of professionals, like communities. “It happens that individuals report a nest to us at a third party, but no one acts because the owner concerned refuses to pay a professional”, deplores Younès Sebbar. Together, the insect repellents regret that public care is not homogeneous across France. “Given the current inflation, if there was financial aid for everyone, it would help to appeal to us, and therefore to fight effectively against the Asian hornet”, pleads Nicolas Dieval, manager of the disinsection company Dkmexperts.
The problem has nevertheless been raised, in the Assembly as well as in the Senate. “What measures does the State intend to take with regard to financial support for the destruction of nests?” asks a senator in a written question addressed to the government in 2011. “It is essential that the State organizes in each department a coordinated response with all the stakeholders”, urges a bill tabled in February at the Palais Bourbon . Asked about the subject, the Ministry of Ecological Transition did not respond to requests from Le Figaro.
