Health. Asian hornet attack: Why are stings so dangerous and how to react?

Should we fear an increase in the number of tragedies caused by hornet stings? An attack by Asian hornets resulted in the death of a 67-year-old man on Tuesday in Fismes (Marne), near Reims . The pensioner was mowing his lawn when he accidentally drove over an Asian hornet nest. "He was hidden by tall grass, he didn't see it. Almost immediately, he was attacked by the insects. He still managed to reach his house, which was about a hundred meters away," relatives told the daily L'Union .

The sixty-year-old's health subsequently deteriorated and he died shortly after emergency services arrived. Firefighters then proceeded to destroy the nest.

38% of serious cases

This unfortunate accident is a reminder of the danger posed by the yellow-legged hornet, or Asian hornet, a species accidentally introduced into Lot-et-Garonne in 2004. Hornets of all species are the second most common cause of summer stings (25%), behind wasps (37% of cases) but ahead of bees (19%), notes ANSES .

But while they only account for a quarter of stings, hornets are responsible for 38% of serious cases. Unlike bees, hornets do not lose their stinger after a sting and can therefore re-enter and inject venom. Furthermore, the length of their stinger allows them to "pierce thick materials such as rubber boots or leather gloves" and sting more deeply, warns ANSES.

A law to coordinate the fight

The yellow-legged hornet was reported in 2015 in Lorraine and Champagne-Ardenne, then in Alsace in 2016, as indicated on the website of the Regional Health Agency (ARS) of the Grand Est. This predator-free species has spread widely and feeds on other insects. It is estimated that it is responsible for around 20% of bee mortality in apiaries. To combat this phenomenon, Parliament adopted a bill last March to coordinate the fight at the national and then departmental levels , hoping for more effective action than initiatives at the level of municipalities or local authorities.

If a nest is discovered, ANSES recommends notifying everyone in the household and maintaining a safety distance of five meters. It is not recommended to attempt to destroy the nest yourself or to set traps that could kill other insects essential to biodiversity and which would be ineffective on the targeted nest. It is therefore recommended to report the nest to your town hall or on the National Inventory of Natural Heritage ( INPN ) website.

A stable health problem

For all types of hymenoptera stings, if you experience a reaction such as hives, tongue swelling, difficulty breathing, discomfort, or chest pain, call 15, 112, or 114 for the hearing impaired. However, if you have a known allergy to these stings, use an auto-injectable adrenaline syringe before calling for help. "For other signs of poisoning, call a poison control center or consult a doctor," says ANSES.

There's no reason to panic, however. "Health problems due to wasp, hornet, and bee stings have remained generally stable over the past 10 years," the health authority reassures. Only 1.5% of calls to poison control centers revealed serious, life-threatening envenomations. People over 60 are more likely to be victims.