Crucial update on Asian bee-killing hornet’s invasion of UK | United Kingdom | News

Swift action against an invasive bee-killing hornet has stopped its spread in the UK.

New research has given a chilling picture of what could have happened if nothing was done to stop the insect’s invasion, despite Britain having a suitable climate and habitat.

Research by the UK Center for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) examined how suitable European countries were for the establishment of the yellow-legged hornet or Asian hornet, and how they might have spread.

The Asian hornet, an exotic species, which arrived in France in a load of pottery from China about 20 years ago and spread rapidly across the continent, can kill 50 bees a day and has devastated bee colonies. bees in France and Italy, experts said.

It was first observed in the UK in 2016, and regular sightings have occurred since then, with 44 confirmed this year, mainly in Kent and East Sussex.

But the National Bee Unit is responding quickly to reports of invasive species, which prey on honey bees and other pollinating insects, destroying the hornets and the nests they find, UKCEH said.

The new EU-funded study, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, found that there were areas where the climate and habitat were very suitable for the hornets: France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and United Kingdom. and Ireland.

By December 2023, the yellow-legged hornet had established itself in France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Jersey.

The study found that without action, the Asian hornet could have established itself in a minimum of 1,680 square kilometers (650 square miles) of the UK by 2020.

By 2026 – a decade after the first sightings in the UK – the hornet could have established itself in 44-66% of the area of ​​the country with suitable climate and habitat, the study found.

But although there have been individual sightings in the UK since 2016, there has been no spread across the country as all nests have been removed, suggesting that monitoring and attempts to Rapid eradication helped limit the spread of the hornet, according to the study.

Lead author Dr Richard Hassall, from UKCEH, said: “No significant spread has yet been reported in the UK and, although there has been recent establishment in Germany and the Netherlands- Bottom line, our forecasts suggest that attempts to control the yellow-legged hornet in these countries have so far been successful in limiting its spread.

“This is due to the fantastic efforts made by vigilant members of the public who report suspicious sightings of yellow-legged hornets, and then rapid action by authorities to locate and eradicate the insects and nests found.

“Significant resources have been devoted to monitoring and slowing the spread of this invasive alien species in the UK and parts of Europe, so it is encouraging that these efforts appear to have been effective.”

Professor Helen Roy from UKCEH and the University of Exeter, co-author of the study, said: “We are grateful to everyone who is helping to track the spread of the yellow-legged hornet.

“Volunteer contributions to citizen science initiatives like the Asian Hornet Watch app are inspiring.

“The yellow-legged hornet is a voracious predator and has caused notable losses of bees in parts of Europe, and we predict there would be major impacts on the UK’s wild pollinators if it spreads. established here.”