A biosecurity alert for Ireland has been issued after a confirmed sighting and subsequent capture of an Asian hornet in the Cork area.
Extensive monitoring will continue to determine if this is one individual insect, or if there is evidence it is part of a larger population.
Yellow-legged Asian hornets are seen as a significant threat to honey bees and other pollinators.
However, an Asian hornet does not pose a significant public health risk.
The Asian hornet is a wasp which is an invasive, non-native species.
