Here, we report the first observed occurrence of the invasive Asian Yellow-Legged Hornet Vespa velutina Lepeletier, 1836 for Austria and provide information about the specimen and its discovery. The discovery occurred on the 9th of April 2024 in the city of Salzburg. The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) verified this finding. As V. velutina is an invasive alien species of economic and ecological importance for the European Union, its occurrence needs to be reported by any of the member states. Hence, the Austrian authorities were immediately notified of this finding. Because the female specimen was found in early spring, and since dissections showed clear evidence for the presence of oocyte formation, we concluded the individual to be a founder queen. We briefly discuss the increasing risk of the invasion success by V. velutina for Austria. We also refer to the experience and scientific literature from already invaded countries regarding the current best practice for pest management, containment, and eradication. Among the key factors for successful management of V. velutina are (i) a well-informed public, (ii) an efficient and fast cross-country communication as well as coordination, and (iii) pre-budgeting of necessary tasks, infrastructure, and services. Recommendations for a well-informed public and target-specific measures are also needed in terms of conservation efforts, to avoid collateral damage in non-target organisms such as in the similar looking but native European Hornet (Vespa crabro Linnaeus, 1758).
