A dead nest of the yellow-legged hornet has been found near Wrexham, in the first confirmed discovery of the insect in Wales.
The yellow-legged, or Asian, hornet (Vespa velutina nigrithorax) was first seen in France in 2004, and spread across many European countries, with the first sightings in England in 2016. Because the yellow-legged hornet poses a risk to honeybees and pollinating insects, action has been taken every year since to find and destroy nests.
The Welsh Government has asked the National Bee Unit (part of the Animal and Plant Health Agency) to take action in line with the Asian Hornet Contingency Plan. Deputy First Minister with responsibility for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies said, “The National Bee Unit has years of experience tracking and locating yellow-legged hornets so their expertise will be invaluable in helping us take action against the insect in Wales.
“I’d like to thank beekeepers and members of the public who I know remain alert and continue to report suspected sightings. We need everyone to become familiar with what yellow-legged hornets look like. As the weather warms up in the spring and especially on into the summer, please continue to be vigilant.”
While the yellow-legged hornet queens hibernate over winter, the insect is active from February to November and most likely to be seen from July onwards. The Welsh Government has members of the public who suspect they have seen a yellow-legged hornet to report it via the ‘Asian Hornet Watch’ mobile app or using the online report form.
