Warning over surge in early sightings of Asian hornet

An “unprecedented” number of early suspected sightings of Asian hornets has raised fears of a surge in the UK population of the invasive species.

- ANDY GREGORY

Experts are warning of the potential impact on key native pollinators, with the hornets – which are capable of killing 50 honey bees a day – having already devastated colonies and severely reduced honey production in parts of France and Italy.

The Asian hornet, also known as the yellow-legged hornet, is believed to have first arrived in France in a cargo of pottery from China in 2004, spreading rapidly across Europe to the extent that the species has now been sighted in 15 countries.

It was first spotted in the UK in 2016 but experts warned last year that the invasive hornets had successfully overwintered in the UK for the first time. Now, with a warm start to the spring season, experts in Jersey have reported an unprecedented number of early sightings of Vespa velutina, whose sting causes an allergic reaction that can lead to fatal anaphylactic shock in extremely rare cases.

“The first queens were more than two weeks early this year,” John De Carteret, a founding member of the Jersey Asian Hornet Group, told The Guardian, adding: “We’re obviously concerned.”