Asian Hornet
The Asian Hornet Threat
The Asian hornet, (Vespa velutina), sometimes known as the yellow legged hornet, is an invasive non-native species from Asia. Asian hornets cause significant environmental damage and sightings should be reported to the Non-Native Species Secretariat (NNSS) as soon as possible.
Numbers of this destructive insect are rising rapidly and in 2023 more Asian hornets were detected in the UK than in the previous six years combined.
Asian hornets are most active between April and November (peaking in August/September) and are inactive over the winter.
If they get established in the UK it is predicted they will have a devastating impact on our insect population and ecosystem.
Stay vigilant
The Asian hornet can be accidentally imported into the UK among goods such as soil with pot plants, cut flowers, fruit, timber, animal feed, and even used camping equipment.
We all need to stay vigilant, so if you have connections with local gardening groups, anglers, garden centres, wildlife groups, ramblers etc, please spread the word.
If you think you can help raise awareness in your company, your hobby groups, your school, put up posters in your neighbourhood, give talks, or invite a beekeeper to give a talk please contact us.
The NNSS provide a series of resources free of charge including posters and identification sheets which you can distribute to others. The Asian Hornet Action Team site also has ideas for spreading the word and helping: https://www.ahat.org.uk/get-involved
What do they look like?
Asian hornets are rather like large black wasps with a single yellow band, orange face and yellow tipped legs. Queens are up to 30mm long, workers up to 25mm.
Look out for:
black thorax
abdomen mostly black except for an orange fourth segment
legs brown with yellow ends
head black with orange-yellow face
Queens buzz quite deeply, like a bumblebee
Report it
If you think you have seen an Asian hornet, the quickest and best way to identify and report a possible sighting is to use the Asian Hornet Watch app which has been designed to record and help the early detection of Asian hornets. The free app provides an identification guide to help check which species you have seen and an opportunity to record your sightings.
Alternatively, report the sighting to the Non-Native Species Directorate with a photo using the online form: www.bit.ly/asianhornetreport or email a photo to alertnonnative@ceh.ac.uk.
If you catch an Asian hornet in your monitoring trap, photograph it, report it, then put the whole trap in the freezer to kill it without squashing.
If the sighting is positive, the NNSS will trigger further investigations by the UK's bee inspectors.
How you can help
Beekeepers are being called on by the BBKA to familiarise ourselves with the the BBKA Asian Hornet Resources page. Here you'll find social media links, identification information for yourself, and helpful posters to pass onto others. You'll find the links to the app, videos of Asian hornets, life cycle posters, and instructions for making traps.
Roy Fairclough is the EBKA Asian Hornet Action Team co-ordinator. See the Committee page for his contact details.
Asian Hornet
Comparison chart
European Hornet