The Asian hornet (Vespa velutina), which arrived in Europe in the early 2000s, now represents one of the greatest threats to biodiversity and beekeeping. This invasive alien species decimates populations of bees and other pollinating insects, with direct impacts on agriculture as well as increasing risks to public health due to its aggressiveness.

Faced with this situation, Canton Geneva has implemented an exemplary control strategy. At the annual meeting of the Cercle exotique, the PIBG association, mandated by the canton, presented the results for 2025: more than 700 nests (primary and secondary nests) of the Asian hornet were destroyed, thus contributing to the protection of millions of bees and pollinators.

This success is based on the commitment of numerous volunteers from the Pollinea Action association as well as on efficient coordination of operations by the PIBG. The participatory platform Pollenn® enabled precise data collection and rapid organization of field measures, thus facilitating the work of the Geneva Fire Department and on-site specialists.

This project is becoming a reference in Switzerland for managing invasive alien species and demonstrates that close collaboration between authorities, experts, associations and the public can achieve concrete results.

At In-Finitude SA, we are proud to contribute to this collective success and sincerely thank all the committed actors. We look forward to continuing this collaboration in 2026 with new features to further strengthen the effectiveness of field control.

🤝 Key actors in this project:

• 🦋 PIBG (Pôle invertébrés du bassin genevois) - Management, coordination and information - https://www.pibg.ch
• 🐝 Pollinea Action association - Field partner, specialized in Asian hornet control - https://www.pollinea.ch
• 🏛️ OCAN (Cantonal Office for Agriculture and Nature of Canton Geneva) - Supervision and coordination mandate - https://lnkd.in/eHa792Xu
• 🔄 Cercle exotique (KVU) - Working group of cantonal neobiota members - https://lnkd.in/eyXFQvQ6
• 📊 Info Fauna - CSCF & karch - Implementation of the reporting platform - https://lnkd.in/eBQ3xs86
• 🌿 In-Finitude SA - Provider of the Pollenn® platform - https://www.in-finitude.ch / www.pollenn.ch

A big thank you goes to Julie Manzinalli (PIBG), Gottlieb Dandliker, Nicolas Brand (Geneva firefighter and active member of Pollinea Action) as well as to all members of both associations for their support and this exemplary collaboration. 🙏