The first of our series of talks last Tuesday evening on the Asian Hornet, was given by Peter Crabbe of West Dorset Bee Keepers' Association. It was fascinating, and worrying at the potential ecological devastation that it could bring. And it called us all to action to combat its establishment in the UK. The insect has definitely arrived in this country and is already active in 2024, with the propensity to breed and spread at an alarming rate, as it already has done through France, Germany and parts of Italy. It is a severe threat to the UK's insect and pollinator population, particularly honey bees. It is smaller than the UK's native hornet, which has a yellow face (seen from the front) and dark legs and feet.Â
Peter urged us all to report the location of any sightings, preferably via an app for Apple or Android phones, details of which are below, so that experts can track them to their nest and hopefully destroy the entire colony. "A photo and location are key as we can save a trip if the photo shows it's not a hornet and the location allows us to put out traps if it is one!".
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