There is something particularly concerning about being told that Malta may have reached a "point of no return" in a problem which one expert says he has been warning about for well over a decade.

Pest control expert Arnold Sciberras told The Malta Independent on Sunday that much of Malta's beekeeping could disappear within the next decade as the Oriental hornet population continues to place pressure on bee colonies.

His prediction is stark, but perhaps the most troubling part is that the problem did not suddenly emerge this summer, or even a year ago.

Sciberras said he has been professionally controlling Oriental hornets since 2012 and was warning even then that their spread would eventually create problems both in buildings and for beekeeping.

As the hornets expanded from urban areas towards agricultural land, he repeatedly warned about the consequences for bees.

More than a decade later, the situation he feared appears to have materialised.

Hornets have spread across Malta, Gozo and Comino, pest controllers are dealing with thousands of nests and beekeepers are trying to protect their colonies with whatever measures are available.

The question is why more was not done earlier, and why there still appears to be so little urgency from those with the power to coordinate a response.

Hornets aggressively defend their nests, people have required hospital treatment after being stung, pets can also be seriously harmed, and their growing population is placing pressure on bees and other wildlife.

The consequences for beekeeping deserve particular attention. Bees play an important role in pollination and the wider ecosystem, while beekeeping itself forms part of Malta's agricultural tradition.

Allowing the sector to deteriorate to the point where its future is seriously threatened should not be treated as an issue for beekeepers alone to solve.

The scale of the damage is already visible. Apiarist Ray Sciberras told this newspaper that one of his apiaries had fallen from around 15 bee colonies to just five following the influx of hornets, despite beekeepers introducing measures to defend their hives.

Yet much of the response has been left to individuals. Beekeepers install traps and protect their apiaries, pest controllers remove nests, residents pay to deal with infestations, and some local councils have also done their part.

Those efforts are important, but they are not a national strategy.

Malta is far too small for a problem of this nature to be tackled locality by locality or apiary by apiary. Reducing hornet numbers in one area achieves little if populations thrive elsewhere.

Sciberras said he has pushed for the problem to be addressed nationally but received no support from any entities.

He proposed government incentives to reduce the cost of professional interventions for residents and encourage local councils to act in public spaces.

Such proposals should be seriously considered.

Government should bring together beekeepers, pest management professionals, environmental experts, local councils and the relevant authorities to establish what can realistically still be done.

Targeted trapping, protection around apiaries, better pest-proofing, responsible waste management and financial assistance for professional control measures should form part of that discussion.

Any intervention must be properly researched. Sciberras warned that indiscriminate homemade traps can also kill beneficial species, meaning a national response requires professional coordination without causing unnecessary damage to other wildlife.

Perhaps the situation cannot now be reversed entirely. Sciberras himself has little hope that it can, but it cannot become another reason for inaction.

If Malta loses much of its beekeeping over the coming decade, it would be difficult to argue that nobody saw the danger coming.

Sciberras said he sounded the warning years ago, and the problem has continued to grow.

The authorities should not wait for another decade of warnings before deciding that the problem deserves their attention.