GUEST BLOG
Asian hornets (Vespa velutina) are a hot topic right now. Sightings in the UK have increased dramatically recently and you may have seen them in the news or on social media.
Elliott Rose-King is from BPCA Consultant member company Bounty Consultancy Services and has worked extensively on Asian hornet tracking with the team in Guernsey.
Here he writes a guest blog, summarising some of the basic dos and don'ts for pest professionals when it comes to dealing with Asian hornets.
With increasing media attention, it can be hard to filter through all of the information and keep track of what we in the pest management industry should be doing about the situation.
This is especially the case given that most information available is aimed at the general public or beekeepers, not pest controllers.
While the responsibility of treating Asian hornet nests is not (currently) given to pest controllers, it is still important that we know how to identify Asian hornets and correctly report any sightings, especially as we are likely to be the first people a customer calls if they are not familiar with them.
This information is based on the current official procedures we have in place in the UK (as of September 2023).
Learn how to ID an Asian hornet
You may have seen this one several times already, but it’s very important to remember! An Asian hornet has an entirely dark thorax and an almost entirely dark abdomen, except for the 4th segment.
They have yellow tips on their legs, and they are approximately 25mm in length (this is 5mm SMALLER than our native European hornets, despite the common misconception that they are bigger).
Be vigilant!
You may come across an Asian hornet at any time, especially this late in the season (late summer into autumn).
If you see an unfamiliar large, dark-coloured, flying insect, it could always be one.
It is worth remembering you are more likely to see them around beehives or on certain types of plant native to Asia (such as Fatsia japonica or Camelia), although you can see them away from these too.
If you find an Asian hornet or a customer reports one, take a clear photo
If it is safe to do so, you should always try and take a clear photo of an insect you suspect is an Asian hornet.
Adding a good photo to a reported sighting will help the responsible authority process your report (and they may not be able to make an identification without one).
While sightings are more likely in the south of England and Wales, sightings have been confirmed in Hull (September 2018) and Newcastle (April 2023), so it is important to remain vigilant wherever you are in the UK.
Report all sightings using the Asian Hornet Watch app
The UK’s official reporting process is to use the Asian hornet watch app (available on Android and iOS devices).
Reporting a sighting in this way will ensure that sightings are correctly recorded and responded to by the appropriate authorities, such as the National Bee Unit (this is important so they can take individual hornets and destroyed nests to the lab for genetic testing, as this can show if populations have established in the UK).
Spread awareness (of the above points)!
Awareness of the correct identification and reporting procedures amongst the general population is one of the most important factors in successfully controlling an invasive species.
Spreading this information to other pest controllers or members of the public is one of the biggest ways we can make a difference – especially as people are likely to ask pest controllers for information about an invasive hornet.
Don't ignore a sighting (or withhold information about a sighting)
It is very quick and easy to make a report using the official apps or website, and it’s really important you do!
Not reporting a hornet, or withholding information while attempting to find and deal with a nest yourself, can result in a nest not being found or treated correctly.
Each Asian hornet nest can have up to 10,000 workers and produce around 300 queens by the end of the year, which can seriously damage local insect populations (especially honeybees and other vital pollinators), so it’s important that we all follow the correct procedure.
Don’t spread alarmist information
While it’s important to spread awareness, we should also make sure we do not spread any ‘tabloid headline’ style information that can cause panic.
Keeping information factual (and not exaggerating risks) has been a key part of successful awareness campaigns in areas already dealing with Asian hornets (such as Guernsey).
For example, the media often refer to them as 'Murder Hornets' and confuse them with the Asian Giant hornet. Similarly, they often get treated by the media as if they will swarm you as soon as one stings you, or they make it sound like they're actively coming for people.
Realistically you aren't going to have a problem unless you agitate an individual, and you certainly won't get attacked en masse by them unless you've agitated them AND you're close to the nest.
Don’t release a trapped Asian hornet
This may seem obvious, but if you have trapped an Asian hornet (or you happen to find one in a trap you may be used for other insects), do not release it!
It is technically not legal to do so (as they are an invasive non-native species), and keeping the Asian hornet in a trap will make it much easier to photograph for a report – it may also assist any response teams when they arrive to find the nest.
Don’t approach a nest (if you have found one)
Asian hornets away from the nest do not usually pose any additional threat, provided you remain calm and do not agitate them. However, approaching a nest can put you in danger – especially if you damage a nest.
Not only do they have a 6mm long sting, which can penetrate most regular protective suits, but their venom also contains an alarm pheromone that will alert the other hornets to attack you.
Don’t treat a nest (if you find one)!
As pest controllers, this is possibly the most important point to remember! At first, it may seem surprising that we should not be treating these nests (and many of us probably feel like we could help here).
But, unless we are instructed to do so by the appropriate authority, it is very important that we follow the usual reporting process and allow them to treat and remove a nest.
Not only do they have the correct equipment and training to deal with the nests safely, but this is also currently the best way we can help with the collective effort to control Asian hornets.
Following the correct process ensures that the nest is correctly removed and analysed in a lab.
As mentioned earlier, this helps the entire country keep track of the Asian hornet population and can determine whether any found nests are related to those previously identified. This may change in the future, but for now, it is very important to leave this part of the process to the National Bee Unit (and any related authorities).
Of course, this information does not extensively cover every aspect of dealing with Asian hornets, and it is always important to keep up-to-date on any developments in a rapidly changing situation like this.
Keeping up-to-date is also the best way to make sure you know if any parts of this process have changed or if pest controllers are given a new role in managing Asian hornets.
The Non-Native Species Secretariat maintain a ‘species alerts’ page that collects useful information you can use for keeping up to date. But for now, these points should be useful if you come across a situation involving Asian hornets in the near future.
More info on Bounty's work with Asian hornets: