Exterminators remove 2,000-hornet nest in Hasselt while Dutch residents face removal dispute
Pest controllers in Hasselt used vacuum equipment to clear a nest of 2,000 Asian hornets above a school playground, while residents in Leidschendam contest municipal inaction over a nest hanging 40 metres above homes.
Hasselt playground operation
On Tuesday, pest controllers removed an Asian hornet nest containing approximately 2,000 insects from a primary school in Hasselt, Limburg. The nest, measuring half a metre by one metre, was suspended 15 metres high in a tree directly over an unpaved playground. School officials requested the intervention to protect pupils from the aggressive colony. Pest controllers opted against chemical sprays because poisoned hornets can still sting up to two days after dying. Furthermore, the unpaved ground made clearing fallen insects difficult, and chemical treatments present hazards to local cold-blooded animals.
Venom attack during removal
Beekeeper and exterminator Nicky Torbeyns and his colleague Michiel Neven ascended to the nest using a cherry picker and specialised vacuum equipment. As soon as the first branches were cut, the hornet swarm launched an aggressive attack on the two men. Under high pressure, the insects squirted venom directly from their stingers toward the exterminators. The venom penetrated underneath Neven's safety goggles and entered his eyes, though he escaped without lasting injury.
Nicky Torbeyns described the force of the defensive swarm during the operation.
They were so aggressive that the venom simply squirted from the stinger under pressure, straight towards my colleague's eyes.
The extermination team vacuumed approximately 90% of the colony during the hour-long operation. The remaining disoriented hornets will quickly die off, and the primary school retained a portion of the nest to serve as educational material in science classes.
- Exterminators ascend 15 metres in an aerial platform with protective suits and vacuum equipment above the unpaved playground.
- Hornets swarm and shoot venom under pressure, penetrating Michiel Neven's safety goggles.
- Pest controllers complete the extraction, vacuuming up 90% of the 2,000 hornets and securing the nest for school lessons.
Leidschendam residential infestation
In the Netherlands, residents along Spechtlaan in Leidschendam are contending with an Asian hornet nest that has hung between two apartment complexes for more than two months. The nest originally measured the size of a basketball but has expanded to the size of a space hopper. It hangs directly above a local children's play area, forcing families to seek alternative playgrounds. Neighbours report frequent intrusions into their living spaces, with resident Lesley finding four hornets in her kitchen in a single morning and neighbour Dewi capturing about 20 over recent weeks.
Lesley expressed the neighbourhood's growing apprehension about the approaching autumn storms.
It will be autumn again soon and there will come a moment when it falls down. I do not want to know what the consequences of that will be.
Administrative deadlock over removal
The dispute over the Leidschendam nest remains unresolved due to a jurisdictional stalemate between municipal and provincial authorities. The local municipality maintains that removing the nest falls under the remit of the province of South Holland. Provincial officials countered that the tree must be pruned before pest controllers can reach the nest, which requires municipal permission. The municipality refused to grant pruning approval, stating that the nest sits 35 to 40 metres high and poses limited risk, whereas cutting branches would compromise the structural stability of the tree.
Residents continue to keep windows closed during warm weather and avoid using their balconies while the nest remains in place.
