An urgent warning has been issued for the public to be 'on guard' after a suspected sighting of an Asian hornet in Plymouth, Devon, over the weekend. The invasive species poses a significant threat to honeybee colonies and can deliver a painful sting, particularly dangerous to those with allergies.
The sighting was reported to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which confirmed the hornet was seen attacking bees around a solar wax extractor. Posters have been placed in the area urging people to check boats and vehicles returning from trips abroad for nests.
Social media warnings have also been issued, with Ashgrove Farm in Tavistock advising residents to check hives, gardens, hedgerows, outbuildings, and vehicles. They stressed that Asian hornets can destroy a bee colony in hours and warned against attempting to destroy nests, urging people to report sightings to local beekeeping groups.
The Channel Islands remain the frontline in the battle against the species, with hundreds of nests destroyed annually. In 2022, 55 queen hornets were caught and 174 nests discovered on Jersey. This year, 438 queens have already been trapped, described by Asian-hornet co-ordinator Alastair Christie as 'an unprecedented, astronomical increase'.
The species first arrived in Europe in 2004 via a freight ship in southern France and was spotted in Jersey in 2016. Efforts to contain the spread have largely been successful on the mainland, but the rise in numbers on the islands has raised concerns of a potential invasion of southern England.
