Britain is successfully combating the Asian hornet, report finds – despite the invasive species still wreaking havoc in France and Italy

Britain has so far successfully combated the Asian hornet invasion, thanks to vigilant citizens.

A new study has shown that although Britain has a suitable climate and habitat for the yellow-legged hornet, also known as the Asian hornet, effective measures have prevented this voracious predator of pollinators from becoming established here.

The invasive alien species, which can kill 50 bees a day, has devastated honey bee colonies in France and Italy.

It arrived in France about 20 years ago in a container of pottery from China, then quickly spread across the continent and was first seen in Britain in 2016.

There have been regular sightings in Britain, including 44 confirmed so far this year, mainly in Kent and East Sussex, but the National Bee Unit responds quickly to reports and destroys any insects and nests found.

The UK Center for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) has led a study to assess the ecological suitability of European countries for the establishment and spread of the yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina).

This work was the first to look at the potential extent of the invasion of this species, which would have occurred in Britain, Germany and the Netherlands if rapid eradication had not occurred.

The EU-funded research, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, shows that more than 1,500 km2 in Britain would be colonized by 2020 without action to tackle invasive alien species.

Lead author Dr Richard Hassall from UKCEH explains: ‘No significant spread has yet been reported in Britain.

‘While there has been recent establishment in Germany and the Netherlands, our predictions suggest that efforts to tackle the yellow-legged hornet in these countries have so far been successful in limiting its spread.

‘This is thanks to the fantastic efforts of vigilant members of the public who report suspected yellow-legged hornet sightings, with authorities taking swift action to locate and eradicate any insects and nests found.

‘Significant resources have been put into monitoring and slowing the spread of this invasive, non-native species in Britain and parts of Europe, so it is encouraging to see that these efforts appear to have been effective.’

UKCEH oversees the alert system for Great Britain which allows people to report potential sightings of a number of priority invasive non-native species.

The yellow-legged hornet is one such species and there are several ways people can submit their reports.

The Asian Hornet Watch app has received around 12,500 reports of sightings from the public in Britain so far this year.

But only a fraction of these are confirmed as yellow-legged hornets, with most sightings actually of the native European hornet or hoverflies and other insects similar to the yellow-legged hornet.

The Asian hornet has recently been partially renamed yellow-legged hornet to facilitate correct identification.

In addition to checking guides in the app and online, the public is asked to submit a clear photo of their recorded sightings so experts can quickly determine if it is a yellow-legged hornet.

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.

“Volunteers’ contributions to citizen science initiatives such as the Asian Hornet Watch app are inspiring.

‘The yellow-legged hornet is a voracious predator and has caused significant losses of honeybees in parts of Europe, and we predict there would be major impacts on wild pollinators in Britain if it becomes established here.’

Yellow-legged hornets were first introduced to Britain in 2016, but have begun to spread much more aggressively in recent years.

The species’ activity to date has largely been in the south-east of England, with Kent worst affected.

However, they have also appeared in Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and London, with isolated confirmed sightings in parts of south-west England and as far north as Yorkshire and Northumberland.

Recent modeling shows that every part of Britain, with the exception of some areas in Scotland, has a habitable climate for these invasive insects.

This is especially concerning because Asian hornets feed on our native pollinators such as wasps and honey bees.

Each hornet’s nest can eat about 11 pounds of insects per year and they prefer social insects, honeybees, which have little defense against these fierce hunters.

The invasive species is often confused with the native and ecologically important European hornet.

‘One of the easiest ways to identify them is to look at their legs,’ says Professor Helen Roy, an ecologist at UKCEH and the University of Exeter.

‘Yellow-legged hornets have yellow and brown on their legs, while the legs of European hornets are only brown.’

The Asian hornets are also smaller and sleeker than their European counterparts and will appear orange when viewed from the front.

If you see an insect that you think is an Asian hornet, you are urged to report it via the Asian Hornet Watch app or online via the UKCEH online reporting form.

All sightings reported through the app are double-checked by UKCEH, but ensuring you only report genuine sightings can help use resources more effectively.

Professor Roy added: ‘The vast amount of data we receive from citizen scientists is helping to develop the alert system and our experiences are proving useful to share with others as they develop similar systems around the world.’