Defra has confirmed the sighting and capture of a single Asian hornet at Ash in Kent on 11 March, the earliest that the invasive species has been recorded in the UK, prompting fears that it may have become established in England.
Since 2016 there have been a total of 102 sightings, although more than half of these (56) were recorded last year. Four of the incidents in 2023 involved single insects, while the rest saw nests destroyed. Most incidents occurred in Kent or the south of England, although sightings and nests were also confirmed in Newcastle upon Tyne, Hull, and Yarm in North Yorkshire.
Diane Drinkwater, chair of the British Beekeepers’ Association, told The Guardian, “I suspect this is a winter queen that was born here. That has not been confirmed, but that would be logical.
“Their life cycle is not advanced enough for them to have developed workers by this point [in the year]. So, I suspect it has not migrated from abroad, but we may have missed a nest somewhere.”
David Smith, of conservation charity Buglife, added, “It would seem increasingly likely that [the hornets] have overwintered given the number of records last year and nests found right through until November. We have had a relatively mild winter so travel by their own means from the continent would still be possible, and there are also open pathways via imported natural goods such as plants, soils, and timber.
“It is highly concerning that their ‘season’ appears to be getting longer and this is a real risk to wild pollinators that are already facing significant declines and are now faced with a ferocious predator as they are emerging from winter.”
Asian hornets, which are slightly smaller than the native species, first arrived in France in 2004 and then spread rapidly across Europe and can cause damage to honey bee colonies and other beneficial insects.