Ever since this ‘killer’ species arrived in the UK in 2016, there have been horror stories about it – and they have picked up pace in recent months. So are these hornets nasty predators or just misunderstood?
which is believed to have stowed away in Chinese pottery, could make that claim. She was shipped to the port of Bordeaux in 2004. Having already mated with multiple males, she flew off into the sunshine of south-west France and built a nest. From that single nest, up to 500 new queens emerged. For a few years, her offspring quietly prospered. By the time the authorities paid attention to this predatory yellow-legged carnivore, known as the Asian hornet, it was too late.
This spring, Asian hornets were first spotted in Britain in March, a month earlier than usual, suggesting that some may have overwintered here for the first time. Genetic analysis of three hornet queens found this month at Four Oaks in East Sussex indicate that they were overwintered offspring of a nest that was destroyed in Rye, 25 miles south, in November last year.The reason for the rise in numbers is simple: there is a booming population along the coasts of France and Belgium.
Beekeepers are particularly concerned. Asian hornets have been widely observed hovering outside beehives and picking off worker bees as they emerge. “A honeybee hive is like a supermarket for the hornets,” says Campbell. So, how worried should we be? Relatively few scientific studies have quantified the Asian hornet’s impact on biodiversity and insect abundance so far, but scientists are taking the convincing, albeit mostly anecdotal, evidence seriously. “Ecologically, yes, it will alter things. I don’t think it’s going to be devastating,” says, a professor of behavioural ecology at UCL. “Unless you are a honeybee farmer, you probably don’t need to worry too much.
The government is still committed to “eradication”, but future scenarios include “containment” and then the “new normal” – accepting that the Asian hornet is here to stay.of the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology is impressed that this effort has prevented the species’ establishment for eight years. “Hopefully, the same will happen this year. Prevention is by far the most important way to address the threat of invasive species,” she says.
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