Latest news with #JerseyAsianHornetGroup
The Independent
01-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
What should I do if I see an Asian Hornet and how dangerous are they?
Beekeepers and environmentalists are growing more concerned after an 'unprecedented' number of Asian hornets have been spotted so far this year, sparking fears of a surge in the UK population of the invasive species. Already, the insects have decimated honey production in parts of France and Italy, as the breed is capable of killing 50 honey bees a day. For years, experts have kept an eye on the species, but the Jersey Asian Hornet Group - leading specialists in the insects - have raised the alert as they remarked sighting 262 queen Asian hornets by 11 April - a 1,090 per cent year-on-year increase in spotting the hornet, as reported by The Observer. Like bees, the sting of an Asian hornet can cause painful and potentially life threatening allergic reactions, but these insects also bode a wider risk to the UK's insect population. Here's all you need to know about Asian hornets and what to do if you spot one. What is an Asian hornet? Also known as the yellow-legged hornet, these insects have caused concerns for beekeepers in the UK because they prey on a wide range of insects, including honey bees. Areas with a high density of Asian hornet nests present a risk to the surrounding area when it comes to insect diversity. They also present a health risk to those who are allergic to hornet or wasp stings. These hornets tend to be far smaller than those found in Europe. While European hornets are between 30 and 35 mm in length, Asian hornets tend to be 25 mm long. Their abdomens are mostly black except for the fourth abdominal segment, which has a yellow band. They also have yellow legs and an orange face. Their nests tend to be high up in trees or man made structures. As well as hunting honey bees and other insects, the hornets feed on fruits and flowers. How did hornets get to the UK? Asian hornets are believed to have first arrived in France in a cargo of pottery from China in 2004, by accident. They have since spread rapidly across Europe and have since been spotted in 15 different countries. They were first spotted in the UK in 2016, in the town of Tetbury, Gloucestershire. After 10 days of intensive searching, a nest was found and destroyed. The UK has confirmed a total of 147 sightings of the yellow-legged hornet since then, according to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), including a total of 110 nests which have all been destroyed. DEFRA added that there had only been two confirmed sightings of the yellow-legged hornet in 2025, per a report from 27 March. What should I do if I see a hornet? DEFRA have asked any members of the public who believe they have spotted an Asian hornet to report them to the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEAH). Using a form on the UKCEAH website, people can send photos of the insect and the exact location of sighting. There is also an Asian Hornet Watch app, where people can report any 'sightings of concern' to the government's National Bee Unit. The UK Non-Native Species Secretariat have warned people not to disturb an active nest in case they get hurt.
The Independent
14-04-2025
- General
- The Independent
What should I do if I see an Asian Hornet and how can I tell if it is one?
Beekeepers and environmentalists are growing more concerned after an 'unprecedented' number of Asian hornets have been spotted so far this year, sparking fears of a surge in the UK population of the invasive species. Already, the insects have decimated honey production in parts of France and Italy, as the breed is capable of killing 50 honey bees a day. For years, experts have kept an eye on the species, but the Jersey Asian Hornet Group - leading specialists in the insects - have raised the alert as they remarked sighting 262 queen Asian hornets by 11 April - a 1,090 per cent year-on-year increase in spotting the hornet, as reported by The Observer. Like bees, the sting of an Asian hornet can cause painful and potentially life threatening allergic reactions, but these insects also bode a wider risk to the UK's insect population. Here's all you need to know about Asian hornets and what to do if you spot one. What is an Asian hornet? Also known as the yellow-legged hornet, these insects have caused concerns for beekeepers in the UK because they prey on a wide range of insects, including honey bees. Areas with a high density of Asian hornet nests present a risk to the surrounding area when it comes to insect diversity. They also present a health risk to those who are allergic to hornet or wasp stings. These hornets tend to be far smaller than those found in Europe. While European hornets are between 30 and 35 mm in length, Asian hornets tend to be 25 mm long. Their abdomens are mostly black except for the fourth abdominal segment, which has a yellow band. They also have yellow legs and an orange face. Their nests tend to be high up in trees or man made structures. As well as hunting honey bees and other insects, the hornets feed on fruits and flowers. How did they get in the UK? Asian hornets are believed to have first arrived in France in a cargo of pottery from China in 2004, by accident. They have since spread rapidly across Europe and have since been spotted in 15 different countries. They were first spotted in the UK in 2016, in the town of Tetbury, Gloucestershire. After 10 days of intensive searching, a nest was found and destroyed. The UK has confirmed a total of 147 sightings of the yellow-legged hornet since then, according to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), including a total of 110 nests which have all been destroyed. DEFRA added that there had only been two confirmed sightings of the yellow-legged hornet in 2025, per a report last updated on 27 March. What to do if you see one? DEFRA have asked any members of the public who believe they have spotted an Asian hornet to report them to the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEAH). Using a form on the UKCEAH website, people can send photos of the insect and the exact location of sighting. There is also an Asian Hornet Watch app, where people can report any 'sightings of concern' to the government's National Bee Unit. The UK Non-Native Species Secretariat have warned people not to disturb an active nest in case they get hurt.
The Independent
13-04-2025
- General
- The Independent
Warning over surge in population of Asian hornets after ‘unprecedented' early sightings
An 'unprecedented' number of early suspected sightings of Asian hornets has raised fears of a surge in the UK population of the invasive species. Experts are warning of the potential impact on key native pollinators, with the hornets – which are capable of killing 50 honey bees a day – having already devastated colonies and severely reduced honey production in parts of France and Italy. The Asian hornet, also known as the yellow-legged hornet, is believed to have first arrived in France in a cargo of pottery from China in 2004, spreading rapidly across the continent to the extent that they have now been sighted in 15 countries. First spotted in the UK in 2016, experts warned last year that – despite the number of nests found and destroyed in Britain falling to 24 last year, three times fewer than in 2023 – the invasive hornets had successfully over-wintered in the UK for the first time. Now, with a warm start to the spring season, experts in Jersey have reported an unprecedented number of early sightings of Vespa velutina, whose sting causes allergic reactions which can be fatal due to anaphylaxis in extremely rare cases. 'The first queens were more than two weeks early this year,' John De Carteret, a founding member of the Jersey Asian Hornet Group, told The Guardian, adding: 'We're obviously concerned.' According to the group, there were 262 reported queen Asian hornets as of 11 April – marking an increase of more than 1,000 per cent compared with the same date last year. That number has also risen quickly from 147 reported queen hornets on 6 April, and just 33 queens a week earlier, Mr De Carteret said. 'When we reach 266 queens, we will equal the total from 2024 – and that figure wasn't reached until 25 June,' said De Carteret. Ian Campbell, of the British Beekeepers Association, told the newspaper: 'It would be a surprise if numbers were not above the 2024 level', and warned of their alarming ability to proliferate, saying: 'In some countries like Spain and Belgium, we've seen numbers increase from a handful of nests to 10,000 nests in four years. According to Mr Campbell, a typical nest of between 2,000 and 3,000 hornets can eat more than 11kg of insects per season – equating to the weight of around 90,000 bees. Research published in November 2023 suggested that in France – the worst-hit country in Europe – between 2.6 and 29.2 per cent of the country's bee colonies are at risk of being wiped out every year due to Asian hornets, in a blow to the economy of up to €30m. While just two hornets have officially been sighted so far in the UK in 2025, in Shropshire and Kent, according to the government's Animal and Plant Health Agency's database, the number of confirmed sightings is typically far greater than those ultimately confirmed and eradicated. Earlier this year, researchers at the University of Exeter carried out genetic analysis to identify prey species in the guts of more than 1,500 hornet larvae from 103 nests in Jersey, France, Spain, and the UK – and found that the hornets feast on hundreds of different insect species already under pressure from farming, land use changes, and chemical pollution. The study drew attention to the potential impact on agriculture, noting that 43 of the 50 most commonly identified species in the hornet larvae's diet are known to visit flowers. These included Europe's three main crop pollinators – the honey bee, buff-tailed bumble bee and the red-tailed bumble bee. Warning that their findings showed the hornets are 'highly flexible predators', the study's lead author Siffreya Pedersen said: 'Insects play vital roles in enabling ecosystems to function – including pollination, decomposition and pest control. '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.'
The Guardian
13-04-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
‘Unprecedented' sightings of Asian hornets raise fears for UK bees
They have bright yellow legs, are about 25mm (almost 1in) long, and a single colony, if left unchecked, can 'butcher' 90,000 pollinating insects in just one season. Since the first UK sighting in 2016 of Vespa velutina – the Asian or yellow-legged hornet – beekeepers and scientists have waged a vigorous campaign to minimise the damage this invasive species can do to Britain's biodiversity and bee colonies. Last year, a wet spring and washout summer appeared to have hindered the insect's population growth as the number of nests spotted in the UK dropped from 72 in 2023 to 24 in 2024. But it was also the first year that the National Bee Unit received confirmation, via DNA, that the hornets had successfully bred and over-wintered in the UK. Now experts fear the dry, sunny start to spring this year and the rapid spread of the species in Europe will lead to a surge in this year's numbers. 'Unprecedented' early sightings of Asian hornets have been recorded in Jersey, leading experts to suspect that record numbers could try to establish nests in the UK this year. 'The first queens were more than two weeks early this year,' said John De Carteret, a founding member of the Jersey Asian Hornet Group, which has about 550 traps in place this year. 'We're obviously concerned.' There were 262 queen Asian hornets recorded on Jersey by 11 April, a year-on-year increase of 1,090%. 'When we reach 266 queens, we will equal the total from 2024 – and that figure wasn't reached until 25 June,' said De Carteret. Ian Campbell, of the British Beekeepers Association, said: 'There's a strong risk of this year's numbers being at least as high as in 2023 and the potential to be even higher. It would be a surprise if numbers were not above the 2024 level.' The species is carnivorous, and a typical nest of between 2,000 and 3,000 Asian hornets can devour more than 11kg (about 24lb) of insects a season, according to Campbell – about the weight of 90,000 bees. The public is being urged to 'be vigilant everywhere' and learn how to identify and report Asian hornets, which have yellow legs and a distinctive orange band on the fourth segment of their abdomens – alongside entirely black velvety thoraxes, which distinguish them from the native European hornet. Like bees, their stings can cause painful and potentially deadly allergic reactions. Any 'sightings of concern' should be reported to the government's National Bee Unit via the Asian Hornet Watch app or online, using the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) reporting tool. 'Yellow-legged hornets cause significant damage to native pollinators, including our much-loved honeybees,' said Kate Wilson, head of the National Bee Unit. 'Thanks to increasing reports to the app and online, it is not unexpected that sightings may occur earlier in the year. We encourage the public to remain vigilant and continue to report any potential sightings to us.' Such sightings can help people working to combat the spread of Asian hornets to understand the national picture. 'I collected one from a lady in her 80s after she captured it in a yogurt tub, while the youngest person who reported one was eight,' De Carteret said. Ecology professor Helen Roy of UKCEH and Exeter University said the hornets pose 'a major threat' to wildlife and biodiversity: 'There isn't a natural enemy that we're aware of that could control the Asian hornet.' It is thought that successive generations of the offspring of a single mated queen, which was accidentally introduced to France in a container of Chinese crockery in 2004, have now reached 15 European countries, including the UK. 'In some countries like Spain and Belgium, we've seen numbers increase from a handful of nests to 10,000 nests in four years,' said Campbell. France is believed to have more than a half a million nests, which researchers believe could be costing the French economy an estimated €30.8m a year in lost bee colonies and honey revenue, while the invaders have reduced honey production by 35% in Portugal and 50% in Liguria, Italy, in recent years. In March, the first large-scale study of the Asian hornet's diet, run by researchers at Exeter University, found 1,400 different species in their guts. Of the top 50 invertebrate prey species identified, 43 were known to visit flowers. These included Europe's three main crop pollinators: the European honeybee, the buff-tailed bumblebee and the red-tailed bumblebee. De Carteret, a retired police forensic officer, said hornets will typically 'butcher' this prey by biting off their heads, wings, legs and abdomens so that their thoraxes – a source of protein – can be fed to the queen's larvae. So far this year, there have been only two confirmed sightings of yellow-legged hornets in the UK, but 'now is the time for people to be on the lookout', Roy said. If the government had not destroyed the nests the public has been reporting since 2016, modelling by Exeter University suggests that the hornets would already be established in large areas of England and Wales, and entering Scotland. Campbell said it was important to try to take photos of suspected Asian hornets and their nests: last year, from more than 29,000 reports, only about 70 were deemed accurate enough to be confirmed sightings. 'To be successful with eradication, the National Bee Unit needs to get every single nest,' he said. New hornet queens are constantly buzzing into the UK from Europe to replace those that have been eradicated. 'The Asian hornet can arrive in a lot of different ways. It can come in on fresh produce or within someone's car, across any Channel crossing,' Roy said. 'Everyone needs to be vigilant, everywhere.'
