iHORNETS: European citizen science app to monitor hornet abundance in apiaries

How many hornets are present around apiaries? Do abundance levels change between regions or countries? And how can this information be monitored consistently at a European scale?

These are some of the questions behind iHORNETS, a new citizen science mobile application specifically designed for beekeepers — both professional and non-professional — who want to monitor hornet abundance around their apiaries in a simple and standardized way.

A collaborative effort to better understand hornet pressure on apiaries

Hornets are becoming an increasing concern for many beekeepers across Europe. Despite growing attention on the issue, large-scale standardized data on hornet abundance around apiaries remain very limited.

The iHORNETS application aims to address this gap by creating a collaborative monitoring network capable of generating comparable data across different European regions.

By collecting observations directly from apiaries, the project seeks to improve scientific understanding of: seasonal hornet dynamics, geographical differences in abundance, temporal patterns, and the potential environmental factors influencing hornet activity.

How does the app work?

The app has been developed to make participation straightforward and accessible to all beekeepers, regardless of technical experience.

Participants only need to:

1. Register their apiary location.
2. Stand in front of a hive and count the number of hornets observed during a 30-second period using the app.
3. Repeat the process on additional hives, with a minimum of five hives per apiary.

The entire process only takes a few minutes and allows observations from different European countries to be collected using the same monitoring methodology. More information here.

Important: Counts must always be performed on a single hive, never on the entire apiary. Observations with zero hornets are equally important and should always be recorded.

Collected data

All submitted data are centralized into a scientific database managed by the research team.

Participants will only have access to their own data through the mobile application. Additional information regarding data management and privacy can be found in the app’s privacy policy.

At the end of each monitoring season, aggregated data will be made publicly available at the municipality level through this website. Exact apiary coordinates will never be publicly disclosed.

Citizen science and beekeeping

The project strongly relies on citizen participation and collaboration with the beekeeping community.

Professional beekeepers, hobbyists, associations, and individuals with only a few hives can all contribute valuable information. Beyond generating scientific knowledge, the project also aims to strengthen collaboration between researchers and beekeepers across Europe.

Every observation contributes to improving our understanding of hornet dynamics and their interaction with apiaries.

Funded by:

The development of iHORNETS has been carried out within the framework of the IA BeeGuard project (PID2023-149487OA-I00 funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and ERDF/EU), led by the Universitat de les Illes Balears in collaboration with the Universitat de Girona.

The project has also benefited from the collaboration and support of: