By implementing the project, we wanted to arouse public interest in the issue of the invasive Asian hornet, to draw attention to the negative effects of this type of insect in the event of its proliferation in our country, similar to the case in France and other Western countries. With the project, we wanted to contribute to the fulfillment of EU regulation no. 1143/2014, within which a list of invasive non-native species with a significant impact on the Union was created, abbreviated "Union list". In it, the Asian hornet was classified as an invasive alien species that has been spreading exponentially in European countries since 2004, and it is essential to prevent its spread through timely measures. We wanted to draw the attention of the responsible organizations to the need to create a link for reporting the occurrence of this invasive insect, to convey to interest groups and the general public a comprehensive summary of knowledge and experience about this dangerous enemy of pollinators, and to contribute to the readiness of the responsible parties to intervene in the event of the appearance of the Asian hornet in our territory. Considering the reproductive capacity and adaptability of the Asian hornet, we wanted tobe prepared
The main need was to educate the general public and the key social groups, such as beekeepers, firefighters and municipality representatives about Vespa velutina hornets. We needed to create a strategic regional partnership and start intensive cooperation across different sectors, and social actors to generate interest in the issue and prepare for further legislative activities at the level of each country and even the Central Europe region. This hornet species currently causes costs of varying amounts in EU countries (FR - 11 million euros per year, IT - 8 million euros per year, and GB - 7 million euros per year), due to their nest destruction. We must add the hard-to-quantify loss to Europe's biodiversity and direct as well as indirect economic losses, particularly in the beekeeping, horticulture and viticulture sectors, and also in different food pyramides. We decided to apply to this project after the international conference entitled 'The future of European beekeeping', 7 March 2020 in Slovakia, at which representatives of French professional institutions also took part. During this conference, we were advised to set up a regional V. velutina monitoring system.Waiting for it to appear wouldn´t be wise given its adaptability.