Asian hornet: how tits can help protect bees in the garden

As the first flowers open, bees begin to buzz and the first mild days arrive, a quiet struggle starts in the background. An introduced predator is making life difficult for native honey bees and wild pollinators. At the same time, a familiar garden visitor enters its breeding season – and this is precisely when it can become an effective ally against the invasive attacker.

Asian hornet: why March becomes a crucial time for bees

The Asian hornet is now regarded as a problematic species in many parts of Europe. Introduced in the early 2000s, it has spread rapidly. Honey bees and other pollinators are especially affected, as large numbers of them feature on this insect hunter’s menu.

The decisive period begins as winter ends. Queens that have overwintered emerge from dormancy and look for a suitable place to establish a new nest: lofts, tall trees, sheds and, in some cases, roller-shutter boxes or garden buildings. If a queen finds peace and sufficient food, her colony can grow into a large nest within only a few months.

A single nest can consume up to eleven kilograms of insects in a year – with bees, hoverflies, wasps and other pollinators making up a substantial share. Anyone who waits until heavy, buzzing hornets are circling above a bee hive in summer will usually be dealing with a well-established colony. At that point, controlling it becomes difficult and can quickly become dangerous.

“An early start is crucial: anyone who takes action as early as March reduces the hornets’ later numbers of offspring.”

Experts agree that completely eradicating the Asian hornet is unrealistic. The insects reproduce prolifically, and there is no specialised natural enemy capable of controlling them across a wide area. Individual predators, such as bee-eaters and certain birds of prey, do catch hornets from time to time, but not in sufficient numbers to produce meaningful regulation.

A different ally therefore takes centre stage in the garden: a tiny songbird familiar to almost everyone – the tit.

Tits as allies: small birds with a major impact in the garden

Blue tits, great tits and coal tits are among the most common garden birds across German-speaking areas. Many people notice them only at bird feeders, but in spring they work hard out of sight. While breeding, they feed their young almost entirely on insects.

One family of tits delivers hundreds of food portions to its chicks every day. Estimates range from 500 to 900 feeding visits per day during the feeding period. Over the course of a few weeks, these birds eat thousands of caterpillars, larvae and other small insects.

If a hornet nest is within reach, Asian hornet larvae may also become prey. To tits, they are simply nutritious parcels of protein, much like other larvae. In this way, the number of young hornets that could later develop into new queens is quietly reduced.

Great tits are particularly interesting for gardeners because they readily settle near sheltered places where hornets occur. During autumn and winter, they use abandoned nests to reach dead insects and larvae. Some of the potential future brood therefore ends up in birds’ beaks rather than forming new hornet colonies.

“Tits do not eliminate the Asian hornet – they slightly reduce its numbers, create balance and protect the whole garden at the same time.”

Experts stress that no bird, parasitic wasp or carnivorous plant can control this invasive species on its own. Tits provide indirect help by lowering the overall number of insect larvae in the garden, including hornet larvae. This broad, ongoing hunting creates a constant, mild pressure on the population.

How to turn your garden into a haven for tits

For tits to make the most of their abilities, they need above all suitable nesting sites and a natural environment free from toxins. The process begins in March, when competition for suitable nest cavities gets under way.

The right nest box at the right time

Many gardens lack mature trees with woodpecker holes. Nest boxes can fill this gap. Anyone putting up suitable boxes by mid-March at the latest has a good chance of seeing them occupied in the same year.

• Material: a simple wooden box, untreated or finished externally with an environmentally friendly stain
• Entrance hole: around 2.6 to 3.2 centimetres in diameter (2.5 to 3 centimetres is sufficient for tits)
• Height: 2 to 5 metres above the ground
• Direction: ideally sheltered from the wind and facing slightly east or south-east
• Location: away from easily accessible branches, so cats cannot reach it

If you install several boxes, stagger them and leave space between them. Tits defend territories, so nest boxes placed too closely together can soon lead to disputes.

Feeding strategy: support in late winter, insects in spring

Tits welcome feeding stations during the colder months. Sunflower seeds, unsalted nuts and plant-based fat mixes help them through energy-draining frosty nights. The later change is what matters:

• Offer energy-rich seeds and fat in late winter.
• Gradually reduce feeding towards the end of March.
• This encourages birds to switch to insects – benefiting both young birds and the garden.

Providing large quantities of fatty food throughout the year risks making tits less active and less dedicated to hunting insects. Yet this insect hunting is precisely what matters when it comes to controlling pests and hornet larvae.

More shrubs, less tidiness: a natural magnet for insects

An ideal garden for tits does not resemble an English golf course. It includes corners where things buzz, rustle and grow. Native shrubs and a slightly “untidy” area bring life back into the space.

Particularly valuable choices include:

• Elder, hawthorn and hazel – providing food and shelter
• Wild roses and blackthorn – flowers for insects and fruit for birds
• Herbaceous wild perennials left standing over winter – refuges for insects
• Leaf piles and dead wood – nurseries for numerous small creatures

“The more insects live in the garden, the easier it is for tits to find food – and the more likely they are to catch hornet larvae too.”

A pesticide-free garden: protection for bees, tits and every helper

Pesticides never affect only the “target insect”. They also poison beneficial species – and, in turn, the predators that feed on them. A garden that is regularly sprayed may appear tidy at first glance, but it is a poor habitat for tits.

Avoiding chemical treatments protects several layers of the ecosystem:

• Pollinators such as honey bees, wild bees and butterflies
• Insect-eating birds such as tits, robins and sparrows
• Soil creatures including earthworms and beetle larvae

Fewer toxins mean more natural opponents for aphids, caterpillars and other garden pests. Tits benefit directly from this diversity. They do not specifically hunt hornets, but feed from the entire range of insects – and providing this abundant supply helps ensure they remain in the garden.

What should still be left to professionals

Despite the support provided by tits, large hornet nests remain a safety risk, especially close to patios, children’s play areas or bee hives. Nobody should attempt to deal with these themselves. Protective clothing, experience and the correct procedure determine whether removal can be carried out safely.

Anyone who discovers a nest should:

• stay calm and keep their distance;
• observe the insects’ flight paths (where they are flying to and where they are coming from);
• notify the relevant local authorities or specialist pest controllers;
• never spray, strike or burn the nest themselves.

The role of tits is not to “replace” the management of such nests. They reduce larval numbers in the background and can therefore help limit the development of strong colonies – an important addition, but not a substitute for professional control.

Why making room for tits pays off twice

Creating a tit-friendly garden brings several benefits. The advantages go far beyond the Asian hornet. Tits enthusiastically eat winter moth caterpillars, oak processionary moth caterpillars, aphids and other insects that damage plants. Roses, fruit trees and vegetable plants often reward these persistent hunters with stronger growth.

The garden also becomes more rewarding to experience. Children can watch parent birds tirelessly bringing food, see fledglings leave the nest and hide in the shrubs. A sterile “gravel garden” is transformed into a living habitat where natural cycles become visible.

Anyone starting with nest boxes should bring some patience. It can sometimes take a year before the first box is occupied. The key is to empty it every year in late autumn or winter, removing parasites and old nest material.

In the end, many small measures create a resilient system: fewer toxins, more structure, water sources, suitable nesting places and a deliberate decision not to intervene at the wrong time. In this environment, tits can fulfil their natural role as insect hunters – and, as a useful side effect, reduce some of the pressure that Asian hornets place on bees and other pollinators.