A team from the Integrated Pest Control Service (SCIP) of the Lisbon City Council, with support from the Lisbon Fire Department (RSB), destroyed an Asian hornet nest found in a building in the Benfica parish.
According to the fire department, the alert for the occurrence was given at 1:54 PM on Thursday, and the nest was located “at the top of a building on Calçada do Tojal, in Benfica.”
“It is the responsibility of the SCIP team to inoculate these nests in the city, a procedure that is supported and accompanied by the RSB whenever necessary and requested,” reads a note published on Facebook.
Originating from Southeast Asia and distinct from the European wasp, the Asian hornet is a darker and slightly larger insect, with a velvety body and yellow legs. By feeding on native bees and other pollinating insects, the Asian hornet endangers the entire ecosystem and, therefore, represents a concern for the whole community.
This predatory wasp species was introduced to Europe through the port of Bordeaux, France, in 2004. The first signs of its presence in Portugal appeared in 2011 in the Viana do Castelo region, subsequently expanding throughout the northwest and center of the country.