‘VERY concerning’ is the way the Newton Abbot Beekeepers described the spread of Asian Hornets across the country. They join many environmental groups in warning people about the spread of these animals, and the threat they pose to our natural pollinators, as part of Asian Hornet Week. 

The Asian hornet is an invasive non-native species, first discovered in the UK in 2016. 

Since initial reports, its pervasiveness has only grown, with the total number of sightings so far this year thought to have exceeded the previous six years combined.

While Asian Hornets are yet to appear in Teignbridge, Peter Henderson, avian manager for Newton Abbot Beekeepers, is all too aware of the risks they pose.

‘It’s not if it’s when,’ he said, ‘This year, over 40 nests in 35 locations have been found and destroyed. It’s a battle of whack-a-mole, and it only takes one or two nests to survive for them to send out about 300 queens the following year.’

Devon was one of the first counties to spot an Asian hornet, in Woolacombe back in 2017. This summer, more were spotted near Plymouth.

Peter added: ’We’ll be fighting an awful lot of them, and the problem is they’re quite an aggressive creature with a 10mm sting. Your normal bee suit isn’t really up to dealing with that, you need a different type of suit to protect against them, almost like a wetsuit.’

While Asian hornets are thought to pose no greater risk to humans than a European hornet, they feed on our native bees and a range of other pollinators, hawking around hives. Peter says that there’s little local beekeepers can do, apart from set traps and report any sightings.

British bee populations have been taking a battering in recent years. The Asian hornet, which dismembers and eats them, could be their biggest challenge yet. 

‘A beehive is quite a handy restaurant for them, but that’s not great for the bees. 

‘In France, the Asian hornet is everywhere, it’s making life very difficult for the bees, not impossible but another big pressure on them. We’ve got friends over there, they say when you sit in the garden in the evening, there’s Asian hornets everywhere. It’s a scary situation.’

Currently, the government’s strategy is to track each Asian hornet seen and locate and destroy every nest.

Rebecca Northey, South West Water’s Invasive and Biosecurity Officer, said: ‘Asian hornets are a triple threat. They negatively impact our biodiversity – decimating our pollinators.

‘They are economically devastating to commercial beekeepers and cause knock-on effects to food production from a decline in pollination services, with the latest annual figures from France costing over 30 million euros.

‘They also pose a serious risk to public health when protecting their nests, which are not just found high up in trees but in low bramble thickets where we could all come into contact with them.

‘It is clear to me that people from all communities need to be on the lookout for this species and report all sightings. Make no mistake this Invasive Non-Native Species will impact us all.’

If you suspect you have seen an Asian hornet, this should be reported immediately, either through the app ‘Asian Hornet Watch’ on iPhone and Android, by using an online report form: https://risc.brc.ac.uk/alert.php?species=asian_hornet. Alternatively, email: [email protected].