Asian hornet UK map proves bee bloodbath fears as 20k Brits ‘spot’ killers

Asian hornets are still trying to invade the UK. But it turns out not as many as Brits think.

Last year, more than 20,000 false reports were made with people up and down the country fearing the yellow-legged fiends had made their way to their corner of Blighty.

As if our bees don’t have enough to worry about, it’s them who are in line to suffer the real danger of Asian hornets who have a serious taste for buzzy blood. A single Asian hornet can devour up to 50 honey bees at a time and just one hornet nest can produce an average of 350 potential queens and male hornets for mating, as well as up to 6,000 workers.

READ MORE: Asian hornets theory explains how beasts that ‘eat 50 bees a day’ are making UK home

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Now, beekeepers are asking people to make sure they know how to identify the invasive mini-beasts which pose a threat to the UK’s eco-system.

The “yellow-legged” pests are being monitored by the National Bee Unit (NBU) and sightings should be reported through the Asian Hornet Watch app, so that nests can be quickly destroyed to limit the insect’s spread.

During Asian Hornet Week – which runs until Sunday, September 8 – and beyond, 1,000 members of the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) have been mobilised to provide emergency support to the NBU when a report is made through the app.

But concerns have now been raised that too many people do not know how to identify an Asian hornet – and this confusion is hampering efforts to stop the pest from becoming established in the UK.

According to Defra more than 20,000 incorrect reports of Asian hornets were made through the app in 2023, impacting the NBU’s ability to respond to sightings quickly.

Since 2016 there have been 126 confirmed sightings of Asian hornets, including a record 57 last year.

So far in 2024, there have been 25 confirmed sightings, including one insect captured on March 11 – the earliest the invasive species has ever been seen in the UK.

You can see all the locations where Asian hornet sightings have been confirmed this year and in 2023 using our interactive map.

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