The Northern Ireland Environment Agency has placed 34 traps within a three-mile radius of a nest site in Dundonald, County Down. The traps target Asian hornet queens that may have overwintered from a nest found there last October. They cover areas including the Stormont estate.

NIEA staff inspect the traps twice weekly. An app streams live data to the invasive species team for quick response if queens appear. The traps use a sweet bait and allow other insects to escape.

Rose Muir, lead of the NIEA Invasive Species Team, stated that monitoring will proceed for the next three months regardless of trap results. She noted the nest was unhealthy and in decline when destroyed, reducing chances of viable queens.

NIEA delivered leaflets to 20,000 households in the area with images and reporting instructions. Muir urged residents to use the Asian Hornet Watch app for sightings and avoid killing or trapping insects themselves.

The agency found and destroyed the nest after the first recorded Asian hornet sighting in Northern Ireland. Queens typically travel no more than three miles to form new nests.