Stop Press! Stop this Pest! Join the Asian Hornet Watch Campaign.

The Asian Hornet, vespa velutina, is an aggressive predator of honey bees and other beneficial insects. Since a fertilised Asian Hornet queen arrived in France in 2004, inside a box of imported Chinese clay pots in which it had hibernated, it has spread to Spain, Majorca, Portugal, Italy, Belgium and Germany. Over 50% of the hives in these countries have been destroyed, along with other insects on which small birds depend for their survival. Each Asian Hornet nest can produce 100 queens in one season. Once established, it can spread at 100km each year.

Since 2016, Asian Hornets have been found, tracked and destroyed in the south of England, but increasingly sitings are being reported further north. Just two weeks ago one arrived in a container of cauliflowers destined for Northumberland zoo. This reminds us that it could arrive in Cumbria very soon

Early detection, so that the Asian Hornet can be tracked and its nests destroyed, is essential. During your walks in the countryside or when you are working in your garden, remain alert to the possibility of seeing an Asian Hornet. Its distinctive features are bright yellow legs, an orange face and an orange segment on its black/ dark brown body.

If you think you have seen one, do not touch it. They are vicious lost on the continent. It has just begun here. It likes hitching a