Asian hornets and their impact on the environment and our ecosystem in the UK
Asian hornets are non-native species in the UK and believed to have been introduced to the UK from East Asia. As a predator of honey bees, the Asian hornet poses a huge threat to wildlife by hunting pollinating bees which contribute to a well-functioning native ecosystem. The Asian hornet is also known as the yellow-legged wasp that was introduced to Europe in 2014 when they arrived in France, thought to have been unknowingly transported from east Asia in a cargo transport and has since rapidly spread across Western Europe.
Approximately 43 sightings have been reported in the UK since 2016 and this increased to 73 reported sightings in 2023 reported by the Government publications (Gov.uk), as well as 71 sightings and 24 nests have been reported by The National Bee Unit (NBU) in 2024. We can expect the sightings to be higher if we consider the unreported cases where the locals might not have information to identify and report the predatory wasp as they are most commonly confused for European hornets. A large nest can accommodate more than 500 individuals and produce over 300 queens a year which has a detrimental impact on the local insect population.
Fact Note: Asian Hornets are not generally aggressive but like other insects, they are territorial and defensive of their nests.
Who is responsible for the Asian hornet control in the UK
The British Pest Controllers are not yet given responsibility to treat Asian Hornet nests, but they can be trained to identify them and take responsibility to report or guide customers on how they should be reporting sightings on non-native species. Awareness can protect our environments and reduce fear of the unknown, which is a case we see most often with insects we don’t know much about.
The British Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA) has called on the public to help fight a major threat to honey bees and other pollinators – Asian hornets. The Asian Hornet nests in the trees Sighting of Asian Hornets in the UK should be reported to the authorities.
References:
Osterloff, E (2022) Why Asian hornets are bad news for the British Bees, Natural History Museum; nhm.ac.uk/discover/why-asian-hornets-are-bad-news-for-british-bees.html
Non Native Species (2022) https://www.nonnativespecies.org/non-native-species/species-alerts/#Species_53
British Beekeepers Association
Author:
Prime Pest Control Team