| November 2025 We in West Sussex appear to have survived another season Asian hornet-free - at least as far as we know! Since the last update, two nests have been located, bringing the total to 21 nests found in 2024. On 16th October the NBU located a nest in Great Maxfield, East Sussex. It is suspected that this is a tertiary nest associated with the nest which was destroyed on 26th September in this area. The nest has been destroyed, removed and sent for analysis. On 24th October a nest was located in Coldred, Kent. The NBU will continue to monitor the areas for any further hornet activity. Regular updates will be discontinued but updates will be provided about action on the Yellow-legged hornet if there is further news to share. October 2024 Since the last update from Defra no further Yellow-Legged Hornet nests have been found so to date there have been a total of 19 nests found in 2024, all in East Sussex, West Sussex (Ardingly), Kent & Hampshire.
Post nest destruction monitoring has been completed at 16 of the 19 nest sites. All nests have been destroyed and removed and are with the lab for analysis.
The NBU will continue to respond to any new credible reports as they have done with sightings on 15th & 20th September and 24th September in Southampton. They are continuing to monitor at this site.
The NBU Bee Inspectors have observed that the hornets are now feeding on fruit/fallen fruit and flowering ivy so an alert will be published on BeeBase asking beekeepers to look out for insects feeding on this type of forage. September 2024 So far this year 26 yellow-legged Asian hornets have been reported, 22 of these have been confirmed as Asian hornets. 5 nests have been found. Following active operations in Lydden, Kent the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit (NBU) located a small Asian hornet nest in brambles on 15th of August and the nest destroyed. The NBU is also conducting track and trace activities in Ramsgate, Alkham and Temple Ewell in Kent and 5 nests identified have all been destroyed. Surveillance is continuing in Hastings, East Sussex where a primary nest was found in July. August 2024 There is little to report this month, although this may be the ‘calm before the storm’! A member of the public reported an Asian hornet found at Barham, near Canterbury during July. The Asian Hornet Watch app was updated to a more user-friendly version on 18th July. If you have the app on your phone it will update automatically. Asian Hornet Week will be celebrated 2nd-8th September with the aim of raising awareness of the Asian hornet—now more frequently referred to as the yellow-legged Asian hornet—with the general public. July 2024 The NBU has now drawn its spring trapping work to a close. In the July Newsletter is an update on the key findings and latest results of the ongoing genetic analysis. It includes the second occurrence where we have evidence of a UK nest reaching maturity and successfully overwintering. June 2024 The West Sussex BKA Asian hornet action team is working on solutions to respond to the possible incursion into West Sussex this summer. See the June Newsletter. On 10th May, a further hornet was found near Four Oaks, East Sussex, in traps that the NBU has been monitoring in the area. This makes a total of five queens caught in this area.
Two further hornets have been captured and killed in Kent. On 15th May, a hornet was found in a monitoring trap set by a beekeeper in Denton. On 16th May, a hornet was found by a member of the public in Etchinghill.
The specimens have been collected and sent to the lab for official confirmation and analysis.
On 21st May, the NBU responded to a report of an Asian hornet in Canterbury, Kent. A primary nest was found at the location which was removed and has been sent to the lab for official confirmation and analysis. The NBU will continue to monitor the area for any hornet activity. May 2024 At the beginning of April, the NBU began spring trapping in areas identified as high risk. Traps have been set at locations across Kent, East Sussex, Devon and North Yorkshire tomonitor for signs of Asian hornet activity. On the 13th of April, a single hornet was caughtin one of these traps near Four Oaks, Kent approx. 3km from the nest found in 2023. The specimen was sent to the lab at Fera Science Ltd for official confirmation and analysisand the NBU will continue to monitor the area. The NBU has also received 3 further credible reports of lone Asian hornets last month.The first was a hornet on a ferry midway between Calais, France and Dover on 8th April.The second was a report on 11th April of a hornet in Folkestone, Kent by a homeowner. Lastly, on 13th April a hornet was sighted on a ferry between St Malo, France and Portsmouth –close to the St Malo port. The hornets reported on the 11th and 13th were both reportedlykilled but the specimens were not captured for official confirmation. April 2024 The first Asian hornet of the year has been found in Ash in Kent. On the 11th March the NBU received confirmation of an Asian hornet found in a potting shed in Ash, Kent. The finding was around 5 miles from a nest found and destroyed in 2023 near Canterbury. The details for the early season monitoring work are currently being finalised by the NBU so additional surveillance close to the finding site will be included in these plans. There was also a single unconfirmed sighting in Preston, Lincolnshire, and a dead Asian hornet in Romford, East London.March 2024Following the Asian hornet conference in February the BBKA Asian hornet team has published the new Asian yellow-legged hornet nest identification poster from the NNSS. Some useful links for future reading: www.facebook.com/TheBritishBeekeepersAssociation/posts/pfbid0fgVBgc2JVMy17ShhTnUsXq2o3Znky3 GeSoUfhNj4LecCNsboXuVr2FYfFt6nEaoSl www.facebook.com/TheBritishBeekeepersAssociation/posts/pfbid0PsZMf1GXtxTU3BBun5TJQWC1xdvxome FyqHTkE2QnWQjiX68V6Pu38VKSWWMXiM8l https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/a-bit-of-a-hornets-nest/ www.bbc.com/future/article/20240206-the-bees-learning-to-fight-off-invasive-hornets https://kingston.nub.news/news/local-news/queen-bees-need-you-royal-parks-charity-asks-visitors-to-go-bee-spotting-221380?fbclid=IwAR1dhcDbTAshSZmSOhkYtmWyB_sB8vEGY1BUJ7T73_ VDXsT2x14y5vhwu4A www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/68331603 Youtube link to the Asian hornet H Conference, from Saturday 17th February: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUMk2tzaw1E February 2024 On Thursday 24th January the National Bee Unit notified the BBKA that they had received a credible sighting of a lone Asian hornet in Hastings, East Sussex. It is not expected to find Asian hornets flying until later in the year, nevertheless local volunteer Asian hornet teams will be asked to be alert and monitor for Asian hornets in the area. January 2024 In 2023 there have been 72 Asian hornet nests found in 56 locations across 10 counties. It has been difficult to keep up with the details with most days bringing an increase in the number of sightings. Currently, however, West Sussex is apparently free from the hornet. A number of members recently joined Hampshire Beekeepers at their Asian hornet conference near Winchester. It was a day of discussion and reflection on the past season and will no doubt influence our own strategy for dealing with the Asian hornet in 2024. Graphs below courtesy of the BBKA—a chilling reminder of what may lie ahead! | 
