Bee inspectors in the South East of England are racing against time to destroy Asian hornet nests before new queens emerge before the end of the month. The country has already seen a total of 10 nests found in the regions of Kent and Sussex. These areas have recorded the highest sightings of the invasive species. The predators present a major threat to the survival of honeybees and other pollinators. With the potential to kill 11kg of insects in a season, one single nest could contain thousands of the predatory hornets.
According to the National Bee Unit, 72 nests were found and destroyed in 2023, with the majority of them located in South East England. During autumn, the hornets move from foraging and nest expansion to reproduction.
Research has shown that nests may produce up to 350 future queens and three times as many male hornets. The newly fertilised queens will leave the nest and find somewhere to survive during the winter months before starting new colonies in the spring.
According to Tracy Wilson from the Animal Plant Health Agency, the queens at this stage are almost certainly one queen. However, as the UK moves into the autumn months, more queens will be laid with the intention that these hornets will then disperse. The inspectors need to reach the nests before the additional queens can disperse.
Despite the decrease in the number of nests discovered in the UK so far this year, many beekeepers remain skeptical about eradication. Some believe that it may no longer be possible. Beekeepers in the South East are urging the government to adopt a bait station model developed in the Channel Islands of Jersey. Volunteers there have set up bait stations that tag captured insects with tinsel, making them more visible and easier to track back to their nests. The scale of the threat from these invasive species has been several nests found in Devon, Dorset, East Sussex, Kent, Norfolk, and Suffolk.
Releasing an invasive alien species back into the wild in the UK is illegal without a special license, and only those working for APHA are allowed to do so. If anyone spots an Asian hornet, they are asked to take a photo and report it using the Asian Hornet Watch app. The species is native to Southeast Asia but can be transported around the world in goods. They are widespread in mainland Europe and can be blown across the Channel, causing extensive damage
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