Britons issued warning over invasion of Asian Hornets

Scientists warn that the peak months for Asian hornet sightings are yet to come, with 25 sightings already made.

The species could soon gain a foothold in the UK if they are not reported properly and are allowed to reproduce.

Head of the National Bee Unit Kate Wilson said: "Please continue to be vigilant for any Asian hornets and if you think you've spotted one, report your sighting through the Asian hornet app."

Asian hornets were first introduced to the UK in 2016 however, managed to spread far more aggressively in recent years.

There have been 126 confirmed sightings including the discovery of 89 nests - with 72 of those sightings made in 2023 alone. A sudden increase in sightings has now raised concerns that the invasive species may become established in the UK.

Researchers discovered that hornet queens found in East Sussex were strongly related to those found in the town of Rye the previous year.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

• Archaeologists recover ancient seal confirming 2,700-year-old biblical account
• Nasa makes incredible discovery of invisible blanket that could explain why life started on Earth
• Nasa astronauts stranded in space to return to earth next February via SpaceX

Despite this, Professor Helen Roy, an ecologist at UKCEH and the University of Exeter, says that there is still time to prevent an invasion.

She said: "Evidence of overwintering yellow-legged hornet queens is concerning, but that doesn't necessarily mean we have an established population here in the UK.

"The strategy is to destroy nests to prevent queens from spreading, and so the role of the people in reporting potential sightings through the app is critical so we can pass that information onto the National Bee Unit to respond as quickly as possible.

"Citizen scientists provide valuable information on the presence of yellow-legged (Asian) hornets across the UK, even though only a fraction of reports are confirmed sightings every record counts and ensures that the few confirmed sightings are managed effectively."

The majority of Asian hornet activity has been restricted mostly to the South East of England, with Kent being the most affected.

However, they have also appeared in Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and London, with isolated confirmed sightings across parts of South-West England and as far north as Yorkshire and Northumberland.

Recent modelling shows that every part of the UK, with the exception of some areas in Scotland, has a habitable climate for these invasive insects.

That is particularly worrying since Asian hornets feed on our native pollinators like wasps and honey bees. Each hornet nest can eat about 11 kilos of insects in a year and they prefer to predate social insects honey bees which have little defence against these fierce hunters.