Asian hornet sightings in the UK have increased in recent months, prompting fears the invasive species has planted a foothold in the country.
While the insects have appeared on and off since 2016, several dozen recent sightings have concerned scientists and experts.
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has received 57 reports in 2023 alone, with sightings dotted across England.
Some of these were single hornets, DEFRA reported, and mostly seen around the warmer southeast.
But most sightings this year included nests, a key sign that the bee killers are now thriving in their adopted home.
DEFRA’s data showed that 2023 saw the highest number of Asian Hornet sightings on record.
Between 2016 – when the insects were first seen in the UK – and 2022, the highest number of reports to the Government organisation was nine in 2018.
The surge in 2023 was split between several months, starting with single hornet sightings between April and May.
Between June 28 and November 15, they destroyed 53 nests, the most since records began, scattered primarily around London and the southeast coast.
Diane Drinkwater, chair of the British Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA), said the “frightening” number of nests suggests the insects are becoming an established presence in the UK.
Speaking to MyLondon, she said the nest may have put out “gynes”, a class of reproductive females that will produce more hornets during the summer when they are fertile.
And she warned that, because of their location, authorities may have missed several nests.
Ms Drinkwater said: “Some of the nests were found in thick brambly bushes where it is harder to find them. It is worrying that some might have been missed.”
Asian hornets are dangerous to humans and the UK’s bee population, but primarily the latter.
While the aggressive insects’ stings can cause hospitalisation and even death, their pollinator prey means they could have a catastrophic impact on the country’s bees, which are vital for sustaining the national ecology and food supplies.
The insects first moved out of Asia in 2004, appearing initially in the southwest French department of Lot-et-Garonne.
They didn’t come to the UK until 2016 when the first nest was discovered and destroyed in Tetbury, the Cotswolds.
