All UK areas that have had confirmed sightings of Asian Hornets this year as Brits put on alert

The Asian Hornets are multiplying around the UK just in time for the summer.

There have been ten confirmed sightings of the foreign insect in the UK last month alone, as its population continues to surge after the species survived the cold of a British winter for the first time ever.

Government scientists unfortunately discovered that the insects remained in the country over winter, with worries that the population of British honeybees would see a sharp decrease as hornets continue to multiply into the summer.

It was revealed by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) that a record number of 72 nests have been spotted in the last year.

Officials issued an Asian hornet alert with summer arriving and the continued presence of the invasive pests in nature.

The scientific name for the Asian hornet is Vespa velutina and is slightly smaller than a British hornet, though you can spot them by their very dark bodies and a wide orange stripe on the fourth abdomen section, along with yellow leg ends.

While not being any more of a threat to our health than our own wasps and hornets, they do pose a risk to honey bees and insect pollinators, which could be detrimental to nature in the country.

One Asian Hornet can consume 50 honey bees in one day.

Originally arriving in France from Southeast Asia in 2004, they have since spread around the continent, with an estimated 500,000 Asian hornet nests in France alone.

So far this year, there have been 15 confirmed sightings of Asian hornets in the country, while this time last year, there were just two sightings.

Asian Hornet sightings have skyrocketed in 2024. (Getty Stock Photo)

In the last ten days of May alone, there were five new sightings recorded - all in the South-East of England.

Here are all three of the areas with sightings on record in 2024, so far:

Kent

The county with the highest population of Asian hornets in the UK, it's no surprise that so many sightings have been within its borders.

Ash

• 11 March: Single hornet captured

Lympne

• 10 May: Single hornet captured

Denton

• 17 May: Single hornet captured

Etchinghill

• 17 May: Single hornet captured

Alkham

• 22 May: Single hornet captured

Canterbury

• 24 May: Nest destroyed

St. Margarets Bay

• 24 May: Single hornet captured

East Sussex

Four Oaks

• 16 April: Single hornet captured
• 24 April: Single hornet captured
• 25 April: Single hornet captured
• 13 May: Single hornet captured
• 13 May: Single hornet captured
• 21 May: Single hornet captured
• 22 May: Single hornet captured

East London

Romford

• 27 March: Single hornet captured

If you live in Four Oaks, I'd keep an eye out.

The nest destroyed near Canterbury on 24 May was thought to be the first of its kind in the country, due to its 'youth', with the nest being built by a queen.

The government advise people to report sightings on the Asian Hornets app. (Getty Stock Photo)

Ian Campbell, a member of the British Beekeepers Association, is wary of Asian hornets permanently having consequences on the country's pollinators.

He said to The Times: "They like social insects (such as honeybees), because social insects congregate in groups — and that's like an all-you-can-eat buffet for the hornet."

Campbell also previously told MailOnline that Kent is on 'the front line' of the invasion, due to how close it is to hornet hotspot, France.

He said that there is a 'significant risk' that the species will have a permanent breeding population in the next few years.

"They're an apex predator, they are very successful, they are very adaptive, and the climate presents no problems for them - it's rich pickings for them," he explained.

With just one or two Asian hornets being spotted per year prior to 2023, it is becoming more of a common occurrence.

Brits are asked to report any sightings of Asian hornets through the government's official Asian Hornet App.