The Vespa Velutina, or the Asian hornet, is coming again. Beekeepers have been sounding the alarm for years about this brutal killer, who exterminates entire bee colonies. Cas Barrois (13) from Eindhoven came to the aid of beekeeper George Guns after a message in the neighborhood app that received a massive response.
On March 6, beekeeper George Guns places a call in the neighborhood app of the Eindhoven district of Prinsejagt 3. Whether people are interested in an Asian hornet trap. He is almost overwhelmed by the large number of responses. In a short time he received 88 orders for the simple plastic cap with holes that you can screw onto a glass jar. “I even had to create a complete administration for it. I had three in the house at the time.”
Grandpa’s 3D printer
Fortunately, local resident Yvonne reports quickly. Her son Cas (13) has a 3D printer, which his grandfather gave him as a gift. “Normally I print fidgets, 3D toys.” He decided to start printing traps to help beekeeper Guns. “I think it’s stupid that the hornet eats all those other insects.”
Like an accomplished programmer, Cas had designed the trap in an hour. “This was a difficult model, because it is a very special shape. The bees have to be able to get out through the holes, but not the hornets,” he says as he instructs the printer with his phone to print a new trap. “Most traps are yellow, but this one will be pink. The hornets are attracted to bright colors.” The trap is ready in exactly one hour and four minutes. Ultimately, more than 50 traps roll out of his printer.
This is how you make your own trap for an Asian hornet
Take an empty glass jar and fill it with attractant: 1/3 part white wine, 1/3 granulated sugar and 1/3 Trappist or blond beer.
If necessary, add a small piece of sponge so that the scent of the attractant spreads even better.
The plastic ‘caps’ can be purchased in various places for a few euros. Check whether you have the right size and turn the pot.
In August it is too late
The Asian hornet is on a rapid rise. Perception.nl states that Brabant is the absolute leader in the Netherlands. In 2023, 164 nests were counted in our province, in 2025 that number had increased to 3,894 and the forecast for 2026 is 19,667. Guns: “That’s because each nest produces 7 queens. That’s 7 new nests the following year. If you consider that each nest feeds on 11 kilos of insects per season, you understand how big the problem is becoming.”
Guns insists that quick action is absolutely necessary. “We have to place the traps now because the queen is now starting to build the embryonic nests. In August the suffering will be incalculable.”
For the time being, he lacks the urgency within the municipality of Eindhoven to do something about the problem. According to him, this places the responsibility for combating it with the citizen.
The municipality has planned three free information evenings in April at which it will, together with beekeeper associations, explain the Asian hornet, the importance of wild bees and the approach.
Guns is pleased that his call to place traps has been responded to so en masse in his neighborhood. “We may live in the city, but this neighborhood is really a village where people look out for each other.”
