Map shows Asian hornet sightings in UK as experts reveal how to spot them

Yahoo

14-04-2025

An alarming number of Asian hornets spotted in Jersey has sparked fears the UK could face a summer invasion of the species that prey heavily on honeybees.
Jersey reported more than 195 sightings of the invasive species last week, with 260 queens found already this year.
Channel Island authorities have launched a clampdown, but insect specialists and beekeepers are afraid they will travel to the UK on ferries and cargo ships bound for Britain.
The threat of the Asian hornet has been growing slowly in recent years in the UK, but in 2023 there was an explosion in sightings, which alarmed experts.
Due to the poor weather in spring and summer of 2024, fewer nests were reported, but due to the sunny start of spring this year, many experts are afraid more Asian hornets will be seen in the UK.
Ian Campbell from the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) warned the UK was on a "slippery slope" to an established population.
He told Yahoo News: "We've got a narrow window to try and eradicate them at the moment and we have got to do everything we can to keep them out."
According to the BBKA, the Asian hornet has several distinguishing characteristics.
Firstly, its size, they are bigger than a wasp or bee, both of which grow to less than 2cm in length, but are smaller than a European hornet which can be 3cm in length.
The average Asian hornet is about 2.5cm.
Their bodies are almost entirely black except for the tip of their abdomen which can be a browny yellow.
Finally, their most distinguishing feature is their yellow-tipped legs.
A European hornet is generally much more orange all over its body.
The buzzing of an Asian hornet's wings is also lower pitched than that of a wasp or bee.
According to the National Bee Unit, two hornet sightings have been confirmed so far this year, one in Oswestry, Shropshire and one in Canterbury, Kent. Both are suspected to have travelled from France.
In 2024, hornets were in several spots in the UK, but they were by far the most prevalent in the South East.
Kent recorded more than half of the sightings, with 44 out of 71 reported.
Other hotspots were East Sussex, with 15, three in Sussex, and five in Hampshire.
A hornet was also reported in Greater London and one in Lancashire. Several people also reported seeing them as they were on a ferry in the English Channel.
2023 was by far the worst year for Asian hornets in the UK, with sightings much more prevalent across the South of England spreading into London, and more being seen in Plymouth, Hull and Middlesborough.
Firstly, avoid getting stung, especially if you are allergic to wasp and bee stings.
Individual stings are not deadly but they will give you much more pain than a wasp or bee would.
Lone hornets do not usually attack humans, however if people come close to their nests groups of them can become aggressive to protect their territory.
Campbell from the BBKA said there had been reports of people in Europe disturbing nests and being killed as a result.
There are numerous ways to report Asian hornet sightings, with the easiest being through the Asian Hornet Watch app. You can also send an email to [e-mail] or fill out a form online.
The app was designed by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and is supported by the government.
Attaching a photograph to any sighting report can be extremely helpful.
A report through the app will go to all of the National Bee Unit which has a team that destroys nests.
Keeping track of where the hornets are and especially where potential nests are via reports from the public is the best way to reduce the threat of Asian hornets in the UK.
Asian hornets were accidentally introduced to France in 2004 and have caused huge damage to the bee population.
France estimates there are now around half a million Asian hornet nests in their country and they kill up to 30% of the honeybees a year, costing them tens of millions in economic losses each year.
Asian hornets were first sighted in the UK in 2016 and more and more are seen each year.
Vicki Hird, insect expert with The Wildlife Trusts, told Yahoo News: "They're a major threat to our native pollinators."
She added: "For this reason, they're an Alert Species and potential sightings need to be reported as soon as possible to prevent their establishment in Great Britain."
Asian hornets prey endlessly on all types of bees and many other pollinating insects that provide a vital part of the UK's ecosystem.
An average Asian hornet nest can consume 11kg of insects in one year, equivalent to roughly 90,000 insects.
There are fears that extermination efforts are not succeeding completely each year in the UK, leading to them potentially living through the inter.
Campbell said: "Last year we found queens who were related to nests we found in 2023.
"That's a slippery slope down to established population."
Researchers from the University of Exeter found the genetic material of 1,449 different insects in the larvae of Asian hornets taken from Jersey, France, Spain, and the UK.
Europe's top three crop pollinators – the honeybee, buff-tailed bumblebee and the red-tailed bumblebee – were all found among the top 50 prey species identified.
The study's leader author Siffreya Pedersen said: "Most insect populations are in decline due to factors such as habitat destruction and chemical pollution.
"The expanding area inhabited by Asian hornets poses an extra threat."
By 2022, just 16 Asian hornet nests had been discovered in this country. In 2023, this increased dramatically to 72 nests in 56 different locations.
For the first time in 2023, beekeepers on the South Coast of England reported losing bees to hornets.
On top of the direct threat of being predated by hornets, bees also avoid leaving their hive if they know hornets are nearby, weakening the colony and potentially leaving it unable to survive the winter.