Asian Hornet warning issued amid confirmed 2025 sightings
The Non-Native Species Secretariat and the British Beekeepers Association are calling for UK residents to report any sign of Yellow-legged (Asian) Hornets, following numerous sightings in 2025.
So far, 13 sightings of the invasive species have been recorded in 2025.
Formerly known as the Asian hornet, Yellow-legged hornets are a "highly aggressive" predator of native insects and pose a "significant threat" to honeybees and other pollinators in the UK.
Native wild animals in the UK
Confirmed sightings of Yellow-legged (Asian) Hornets in 2025
The confirmed sightings of Yellow-legged (Asian) Hornets in 2025 (at the time of writing), according to the National Bee Unit (NBU) website, are:
January 23 - Oswestry, Shropshire: Single Yellow-legged Hornet found in imported shallots
March 17 - Canterbury, Kent: Dead hornet found by member of the public
April 8 - Marchwood, Hampshire: Yellow-legged Hornet found in a rotary washing line
April 12 - Deal, Kent: Hornet flew into a conservatory
April 14 - Applwdore, Kent: Single Yellow-legged Hornet spotted in a greenhouse
April 14 - Ramsgate, Kent: Another hornet found in a conservatory
April 16 - Langley, Kent: An embryo nest (later destroyed) and a single hornet were discovered
April 17 - Hythe, Southampton: A Yellow-legged Hornet was discovered trying to build a nest in a playhouse
April 19 - Folkestone, Kent: A householder found a Yellow-legged Hornet in their conservatory
April 23 - Marchwood, Hampshire: A local bee inspector found a Yellow-legged Hornet in a National Bee Unit trap (just 200m away from the sighting on April 8)
April 28 - Sandwich, Kent: A Yellow-legged Hornet was spotted foraging in a garden
April 29 - Broad Oak, Kent: Another hornet was captured in a NBU trap
April 30 - Nonington, Kent: A Yellow-legged Hornet flew into a house
British Pest Control Association supports calls to report Yellow-legged (Asian) Hornet sightings
Experts at the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) have backed calls for Brits to report sightings of the aggressive Yellow-legged Hornets.
BPCA is shining a spotlight on the hornets this week (May 12 to 18) as part of Invasive Species Week, as work continues to prevent them becoming established in the UK.
BPCA technical manager, Nial Gallagher, said: 'These invaders are a predator of honeybees and could disrupt our native eco-systems and impact crop production.
'Any sightings should be reported to the Non-Native Species Secretariat and we'd advise getting help from a member of the National Bee Unit or a member of the British Beekeepers Association.
'If you discover a European hornet nest, we always recommend seeking help from a BPCA member, especially if it is indoors, or in a difficult place to access.
'Anyone tempted to try a DIY treatment must be certain any product they choose is licensed for use in the UK and must always strictly adhere to the instructions on the label.'
Some recent media reports have suggested that pest controllers may be able to help with yellow-legged Asian hornets
Currently the only organisation with authority to track & eradicate is the National Bee Unit.
All sightings should be reported using the Asian Hornet Watch app pic.twitter.com/OvSo32QGea
— BBKA (@britishbee) May 11, 2025
How to spot and report a Yellow-legged (Asian) Hornet
There are three ways to report a possible sighting of the Yellow-legged (Asian) Hornet:
Download the Asian Hornet Watch app
Via the Non-Native Species website
Email alertnonnative@ceh.ac.uk
Mr Gallagher added: 'Since 2016 a number of sightings have been recorded in the UK, and anyone who thinks they've spotted a Yellow-legged hornet should report it as soon as possible.
'The Yellow-legged hornet is smaller than our native species. It has an orange head, and its entire body is almost entirely dark.
'The abdomen has fine yellow stripes and a yellow or orange segment near the base. Their legs are dark and have yellow tips, where our native hornet has entirely dark legs.
'Yellow-legged hornets may sting, so it's important not to disturb an active nest and to seek help.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Scotsman
Technician Takeover highlights careers in pest control
A national trade body is handing control of its social media platforms to five pest technicians from across the UK for World Pest Day (June 6). Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... BPCA members will be posting from the association's Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X accounts to highlight the benefits of a career in the pest control industry. Pest professionals have a key role to play in protecting public health, supporting businesses and safeguarding wildlife and natural environments. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The industry offers a variety of career opportunities and specialisms, such as working with birds of prey, field biologist and product development. Harry Leyland and Aislyn Risk Taking part in the technician takeover is: Aislyn Risk, Pest Solutions, Scotland Carl and Craig Hoult, Reaper Bird Solutions, Norfolk Elsie Anderson, Pest Solutions Scotland Harry Leyland, PestForce, Doncaster Karen Dawes, Training and Development Manager at BPCA, said: 'There are many routes to a successful career in professional pest management, from people leaving military service or looking for a career change, to young people and university graduates considering their next steps. 'BPCA membership encompasses a huge range of businesses operating in domestic, commercial and industrial sectors, using specialist techniques that protect the food chain, homes, businesses, wildlife and the environment from the potentially harmful impact of a pest infestation.' Carl Hoult, Elsie Anderson, Craig Hoult Visit the BPCA careers page ( or get in touch to find out more about careers in pest control. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad BPCA member businesses are endorsed by the Government via the TrustMark quality scheme as they must carry the correct insurances and are trained and qualified technicians who are assessed to the British Standard in pest management EN 16636 and follow BPCA's Codes of Best Practice.
South Wales Argus
3 days ago
- South Wales Argus
Vaseline can be used to keep rats away from gardens
Keeping them away in the first place can be difficult, but a pest control expert has shared a cheap hack that can make your property less appealing to them. While your first thought might be to put poison down, there are lots of ways you can keep rats away without harming them. The Sun reports that a pest control expert has shared a hack which costs £1.80 for a 50ml pot at Superdrug and will make rats think twice about entering your garden. Expert shares cheap hack to keep rats away from gardens Pest expert Marcus Mueller from Skedaddle shared that Vaseline can be used to keep rats away as it forms a slippery surface, making it harder for them to reach. He suggested adding Vaseline to garden fences so that rats find it difficult to enter your garden. Marcus added some further tips for homeowners, including cutting low-hanging tree branches. Native wild animals in the UK He said: 'Rats often enter gardens by climbing over fences [or] using low-hanging tree branches. You can deter rodents by properly maintaining the trees on your property. 'Trim back branches to keep rats from using them as highways. 'You should also collect and discard fallen fruit to prevent the rats from accessing an easy food source.' Really Wild Birdfood Co previously shared the Vaseline hack in 2022. It said that since rats look for food sources in our gardens, including bird feeders and tables, it's a good idea to use Vaseline to keep them away. You can do this by putting Vaseline on the pole of the bird feeding station to make it slippery and more difficult for rats to climb to the food source. It added that taller feeding stations are better as they make it more difficult for rats to climb compared to those that are at ground level. How to get rid of these common garden pests What to do if you've found rats in your house or garden To report a pest problem, the government website encourages you to get in touch with your council to see if they provide pest control services to get rid of rats. You can enter your postcode, and the website will match the postcode to a council and direct you to their website for more information. The British Pest Control Association (BPCA) recommends getting in touch with a professional pest management company that is a member of BPCA. Recommended reading: You'll need to enter your postcode and state whether your property is commercial or residential, and the service you'd like. Then, companies that are BPCA members and located in your area will be listed with contact details. The BPCA says all of its members have the correct insurance and use trained and qualified technicians. They all have to be audited to the British Standard in pest management EN 16636 and follow BPCA's Codes of Best Practice.
Metro
3 days ago
- Metro
A bite of duck helped me finally accept my sexuality
It was 2014, I was eating in my college dorm's cafeteria and duck was on the menu. It was a Chinese New Year themed duck – delicious pieces of meat with hoisin sauce. I never thought one meal would change the trajectory of my entire life, but that's exactly what happened. That single spoonful helped me come out as gay to my devout Muslim parents. My parents and I emigrated from Pakistan and India to Canada in 2004. I grew up with very rigid expectations: Go to college, marry, then settle down with a wife and kids and, of course, abide by Islamic guidance. Anything outside of that – eating non-halal meats, marrying a non-Muslim woman, mingling with the opposite sex or having an untraditional romantic interaction – was not only completely out of the question, but in some cases demonised. So when I realised I was gay at the age of 14, it was terrifying. I'd never seen any queer desi – a term that refers to individuals of South Asian descent who identify as LGBTQ+ – representation, so it felt like waking up with a tattoo that read 'you are cursed'. I begged God to cure me of 'this disease' but of course it didn't work and, over time, I started to resent my South Asian identity – which I felt was at odds with my sexuality. With thousands of members from all over the world, our vibrant LGBTQ+ WhatsApp channel is a hub for all the latest news and important issues that face the LGBTQ+ community. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications! Then, at 18, I had that delicious duck dinner. I recounted it to my mum, who informed me duck isn't halal, and I initially panicked. But then I realised, nothing bad had happened. The world hadn't stopped spinning. That's when I realised I didn't need to lie to myself anymore. And just like that, everything I'd been taught growing up no longer felt important. I realised it didn't matter what I ate or drank, nor did I need to lie to myself anymore. I could stop believing in a religion that I felt didn't serve me and finally start to embrace who I really wanted to be. Naturally though, this still took some time. At 23, I moved in with my then-boyfriend in Toronto, but played him off as a roommate as I still didn't feel ready to be fully out. Leading a double life was not sustainable though and eventually, during a visit home, I blurted everything out to my parents: That I am gay, my 'roommate' was my boyfriend and that I am an atheist. My mum was stunned and silent – she still feels guilty that she didn't know who I was for so long – while my elderly dad, who admitted he'd overheard some incriminating phone calls in the past, took it surprisingly well. Luckily my parents have mellowed out over the years, which has allowed them to embrace me regardless of my sexuality. I've even introduced them to partners in the past. @tahalikesyou This literally isn't an exaggeration ♬ original sound – TAHA The one issue we do still have as a family though, is that I stepped away from religion. During Ramadan in particular my parents will often try their hardest to bring me back to Islam. I'll sometimes fast to feel grounded and grateful. But now I do it because I want to – not because I feel obligated to. My extended family, on the other hand, have whispered about my sexuality ever since finding out through social media and one relative, who lives in Pakistan, has cut me off completely. I anticipated some pushback – Pakistan is a conservative Muslim state where homosexuality is outlawed and punishable by life imprisonment – but losing someone so close to me has been a hard pill to swallow. Almost a decade on though, and I've finally found a way to embrace who I am. In fact, learning that my culture was once very queer before colonisation, helped me realise my identity isn't in conflict with my heritage at all. More Trending I'm now a proud ambassador for my culture; I cherish the food, clothing, and music and I love singing in Hindi. And though I poke fun at my heritage to my 300,000 TikTok followers, I also have a bio that reads 'happy gay immigrant' – that's worlds away from how I felt growing up. Of course, I still get social media comments telling me I'm going to burn in hell, that I'm a disgrace to my culture and deserve to die, even prayers for me to be stoned. But while those words haunt me when I'm having a tough time, I'm mostly used to it. I'd rather have a platform that normalises LGBTQ+ relationships in our community and helps show that being South Asian and gay are two things that can coexist, than staying silent any day. As told to Zeenia Naqvee Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. MORE: Like Jessie J, I was told I had early breast cancer MORE: Feel Good remains one of the greatest LGBTQ+ gifts to TV MORE: I came out 20 years ago – these are the lessons I've learned Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.
