Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Image
Topics: Environment, UK News
Joshua Nair
The nation's first Asian Hornet nest of the year has been discovered, and warnings have already been sent out.
While the first individual hornet was found in March, the first full Asian Hornet nest was uncovered in Langley, Kent, on 16 April.
These insects were first reported in the UK in Tetbury, Gloucestershire back in 2016, with unprecedented numbers hitting the country in the summer of 2024, as several warnings and guidance on how to deal with them were shared by relevant bodies.
For the first time this year, urgent warnings have been sent out, by The British Beekeepers Association (BBKA), no less.
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They have announced that an 'unprecedented' number of Asian hornets could soon appear across the nation, after confirming that a single hornet and embryo nest were discovered in Langley.
The association explained that the nest was created by a queen wasp, surviving the winter.
It is only the second year this has been recorded, according to reports from the Mirror, so they could be here to stay.
While this is the first nest to be found in the UK, the creature has been spotted several times across the southeast of Kent, as the Asian Hornets overwintered in the UK for the first time last year.
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The majority of sightings have been in the south of England, and with the weather getting warmer, British residents have been warned.
BBKA member Ian Campbell highlighted: "There’s a strong risk of this year’s numbers being at least as high as in 2023 and the potential to be even higher. It would be a surprise if numbers were not above the 2024 level."
According to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), there have been 147 confirmed sightings of the loud, venomous insects since 2016.
They may not pose a threat to human health, but they could wipe out native wasps and hornets, measuring slightly bigger in size to their British counterparts.
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More importantly, they pose a risk to honey bees and insect pollinators, with Asian Hornets having the capability to kill anywhere between 60 and 90 honeybees a day, with dozens even raiding a bee hive with a method called 'hawking' where they wait for returning bees, to feast on the protein-rich honeybees.
It is believed that they first appeared in France in mainland Europe, arriving in a bit of pottery shipped from China.
The BBKA continues to encourage Brits to report sightings of Asian Hornets on the official Asian Hornet Watch app.
A BBKA spokesperson added: "It is important not to approach or disturb a nest, as although they are not generally aggressive towards people, they can be if they perceive a threat," a spokesperson from the charity advised.
Stay safe out there.