A 69-year-old man died during the grape harvest in the municipality of Felgueiras last Wednesday, once again alerting public health authorities to the dangers of the Asian hornet in Portugal. This episode follows other fatal cases recorded in recent years, totaling at least five documented deaths between 2021 and 2025, including an employee of the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) on duty in Mondim de Basto.
Although the medical community refutes the idea that the Asian hornet's venom is more toxic than that of other native species, such as the common wasp, paper wasp or bees, the critical difference lies in the insect's defensive behavior. Unlike bees, which lose their stinger and die after stinging, the Asian hornet can sting the same person repeatedly, exposing them to an exponentially greater load of venom.
Allergy and immunology specialists warn that the consequences of stings vary according to the individual's sensitivity. In most common cases, the sting causes acute pain, redness and local swelling. In people with hypersensitivity, extensive local reactions with generalized swelling may occur. Extreme danger arises with systemic anaphylactic reactions, which can occur even on the first sting, causing breathing difficulties, glottis edema, drop in blood pressure and cardiorespiratory arrest.
Given the risk of anaphylaxis, medical protocols include immunotherapy plans with anti-allergy vaccines and the prescription of auto-injectable epinephrine pens for immediate intervention. Authorities recommend that the population not attempt to remove or destroy Asian hornet nests, but instead report their presence to municipal civil protection services or through official sighting registration platforms.
