Since Saturday, beekeepers have been officially allowed to use sulfur dioxide to defend their bees from the ravages of Asian hornets (Vespa velutina). These were introduced in the Southwest in 2004 in pottery from China. Since then, they have colonized around sixty departments and captured bees to feed their larvae.
This is why beekeepers wanted to find a solution that respects health and the environment to overcome the invader.
Last August, the National Health Security Agency (ANSES) concluded that sulfur dioxide is “an effective technique for combating the Asian hornet”. “The impacts on the environment and in particular non-target organisms are very limited compared to other chemical control techniques”, indicated ANSES.
The decree published on Saturday specifies that sulfur dioxide can only be used by operators trained in certain conditions, and in particular “only outdoors and to treat Vespa velutina nests located at a height greater than or equal to 2 meters”.
“This product is caustic, irritating, but is not toxic,” said Richard Legrand, hornet specialist at the National Union of French Beekeeping (Unaf). The sulfur dioxide injected into the nest captures the oxygen and thus kills the hornets by suffocating them, he explained.
The authorization of this product is only provisional because a permanent authorization would require prior tests,
