Canterbury Beekeepers

If you haven’t already heard, the first Asian hornet sighting has been confirmed by the NBU, who report that the sighting was in a vineyard near Gosport in Hampshire. Live tracking of the hornets is underway and the NBU hope to find the nest soon. This is the first confirmed UK sighting since October 2019, when two related nests were detected and destroyed near Christchurch, Dorset. DNA tests on those nests and two others found in 2019 have shown that the queens all came from France. 

In this, the BBKA’s “Asian Hornet week“, it’s salutory to hear a report of this unwelcome insect.  

So it is important to maintain a watchful eye for this invader and ask people you know to do the same, wherever they are in the UK, but particularly in England where all previous incursions have occurred.  This year more people than ever are out and about in the countryside and most sightings in the UK in the past have been reported by members of the public.  It is essential to encourage everyone you know to remain observant and report to the appropriate authorities.

To help you identify the Asian hornet, we’ve created some resources on the Canterbury Beekeepers’ website – https://canterburybeekeepers.org.uk/asian-hornet/