An Asian hornet nest has been located in a sycamore tree in Cork city following an "intensive effort" by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).
John Kelly, the invasive species programme manager at the National Biodiversity Data Centre, said the nest's location made it difficult for the team on the ground to spot.
Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne, he said they will assess the site of the nest and come up with a safe way to ensure it can be controlled effectively.
He said there are no other known nests anywhere in Ireland and they will continue their efforts to verify that this is the only one.
"We're going to work through this problem and we're going to make sure that we're able to give Ireland the best possibility of keeping this species out," he said.
"They're a particularly voracious predator of honeybees but also we're learning more and more that they're driving declines of pollinators and affecting how native pollinators might behave as well, so we're very concerned for honeybees and we're very concerned for native pollinators."
Mr Kelly said the risk to human health is "very, very low", especially since the hornet population is so small.
Watch: Asian hornet nest located in Cork city
He said they are not aggressive when going about their daily business and the risk only increases when a person is in close proximity to the nest, which most people would not be.
He urged people to report any potential sightings and to try and take a photograph if they spot an insect they believe to be an Asian hornet.
Nest found 'in an around' initial Asian hornet
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity Christopher O'Sullivan said the nest was located "in and around" where the initial Asian hornet was discovered earlier this month.
That sighting and capture was the second confirmed identification of an Asian hornet in Ireland and triggered the establishment of the Asian Hornet Management Group, chaired by the NPWS.
Extensive monitoring was then carried out to determine if a larger population existed and the survey team intensified efforts after the additional sightings.
The location of these sightings and monitoring activities are not being disclosed for operational purposes.
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The taskforce has since consulted with experts from the UK and are monitoring the situation closely, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage said in a statement.
Mr O'Sullivan said they had suspected over the last few weeks that the nest was located near where the initial hornet was found.
There had been an "intensive effort" to find the nest, he added.
Asian hornets nests contain a number of queens, which would create additional nests once they leave their current one.
However, he said this does not typically happen until later in the autumn, meaning they have "got ahead of this".
"We will obviously remove the nest and the population of hornets within that nest will be destroyed," he said.
"The nest itself then will be taken to the National Museum of Ireland. It will be investigated and DNA tests will be carried out to find out exactly where we think this hornet may have originated from."
"If this species did get a foothold, what it would mean for our native pollinators - things like hoverflies, bumblebees, solitary bees, and of course beekeeping - would have been devastated," Mr O'Sullivan added.
"So I'm proud that we actually have got out ahead of this and responded so quickly."
The Asian hornet poses a significant threat to biodiversity in Ireland, and a single nest can devastate honeybee populations, but its presence does not pose a significant public health risk.
Asian hornets are said to not be generally aggressive but may sting if provoked, the department warned.
Members of the public who believe they encounter an Asian hornet are advised to not approach or attempt to capture it, but to report it to the National Biodiversity Data Centre with a photograph if possible.
