Asian hornets (Vespa velutina nigrithorax) cause significant environmental damage and sightings should be reported to the Non-Native Species Secretariat (NNSS) as soon as you can. 
  • Asian hornets are most active between April and November (peaking in  August/September) and are inactive over the winter. 
  • If they get established in the UK it is predicted they will have a devastating impact on our insect population and ecosystem.
  • A number of sightings have been recorded in the UK since 2016 and we fear numbers will inevitably increase.  
  • In Jersey, France and large areas of Western Europe they are stripping the environment bare of insects including managed honeybee colonies. 

What can you do?
  • Monitor for Asian hornets this Spring! Check out Somerset's AHAT Coordinator Lynne Ingram's useful guide.
  • Download the Asian hornet app which has photos to assist with identification and can be used to report any sightings: ​
​​          Asian Hornet Watch app for iPhone  
          Asian Hornet Watch app for Android ​
  • If you have connections with local gardening groups, garden centres, wildlife groups and trusts etc, please spread the word.
  • The Non Native Species Secretariat provides a series of resources free of charge including posters and identification sheets which you can distribute to others. 
  • Our suite of ID resources is available to download for use at beekeeper and public events.

If you spot an Asian hornet
Take some photos and/or capture a specimen and send them to the NNSS for identification; if the sighting is positive, the NNSS will trigger further investigations by our bee inspectors. 

SBKA's Asian Hornet Action Team (AHAT) is led by Lynne Ingram. Our AHAT is county-wide comprising of at least one member from each Division. The full list is below.
​​Lynne can be contacted on ​asianhornet@somersetbeekeepers.org.uk

Fera Science has released the following education/training videos:
Asian hornet Biology
Asian hornet Genetics
Images of Asian hornets to download are available on our image gallery.
And we have made the artwork for our Asian hornet resources - banners, leaflets, ID cards & stickers etc available for anyone to use.
​

Divisional AHAT Contacts

Division
Name
Phone
Email
Burnham
Thomas O'Neill
01278786036
Bees@tjoneill.plus.com
Central
Paul Harper
01458210051
paulrharper@btopenworld.com
Exmoor
Vanessa McDonnell
01278741225
mcdvanessa@btinternet.com
Frome
Janet Norman
01373467922
07563 763499
jmnorm8@gmail.com
Mendip
Cathy Edge
07986471627
nortoncaff@gmail.com
Quantock
Barry Hulatt
01458210861
hulatt.b@btinternet.com            
Somerton
Catherine Fraser
07846165877
Value
South East
Lionel Horler
01963351037
lhorler934@talktalk.net
South West
Bryan Goodman
07816659795
0146030188
bryangoodman31@msn.com
Taunton
Lynne Ingram                         Vanessa Woodford
07846165877
01278786307
07983118732
01460234426
lynneci@hotmail.co.uk
vmwoodford@hotmail.co.uk
Wedmore & Cheddar
Bridget Knutson      Jonathan Friend
01934742187
01934712971
bridget_knutson@yahoo.co.uk
​jpdfriend@gmail.com
Yeovil
Sharon Blake
01460242124
sbeditor@yahoo.co.uk
PictureThe Asian hornet looks like a large black wasp with a bright orange face. Photo courtesy of Jean Haxaire, The French Natural History Museum

​

What do they look like?
Asian hornets are rather like large black wasps with a single yellow band, orange face and yellow tipped legs. Queens are up to 30mm long, workers up to 25mm.
Look out for: 
  • black thorax 
  • abdomen mostly black except for an orange stripe
  • legs brown with yellow ends 
  • head black with orange-yellow face
  • Queens buzz quite deeply, like a bumblebee
 Likely habitat? 
Asian hornets are easiest to see around flowers and bee hives in late summer and early autumn. Nests can be high up in deciduous trees, in hedges and in buildings. 
Picture
The Asian hornet nest discovered low down in a hedge in North Devon in September 2017
What are Somerset Beekeepers doing?
  • We have set up a county-wide Asian Hornet Action Team (AHAT) comprising beekeepers from all of our 12 Divisions.
  • We have adopted an Asian hornet identification policy. ​
  • We gave all members a monitoring trap and bait plus ID materials at the start of the year.
  • Our AHATs are actively involved in monitoring reported sightings around the county. So far no sightings have been confirmed.
  • We have created an Asian hornet roadshow which will roll into Taunton Farmers Market on Thursday, September 12 and Somerset County Show on September 21-22. Earlier in the year it was at the Royal Bath & West Show and Taunton Flower Show.
  • Our artwork and photos are available for all to download:
  • We support the work of Dr Pete Kennedy and his colleagues at the University of Exeter who is working on a number of research projects.
    • In this research paper he showed how Asian hornet nests can be found by radio-tracking
  • Currently we are working with South West Beekeepers' Forum to set up a regional training and lecture day in Somerset for members of all Asian hornet action teams.
  • Some of our members spent their summer holidays supporting Jersey beekeepers in their battle against the Asian hornet invasion.  Their experience feeds into our Asian hornet action teams.
  • We are working with organic national dairy company Yeo Valley to raise awareness among their customers and staff.
  • We continue to raise awareness of the threat Asian hornets pose to honeybees, other insects and the environment with the media, public, Somerset’s MPs and councils.
Picture
The European hornet is more like a large wasp with bright yellow stripes. Photo courtesy of Jason Learner, National Bee Unit
How to detect Asian hornets
The NBU recommends DIY traps; alternatively traps are available to purchase from beekeeper equipment suppliers. 
It's recommended that you observe activity carefully around your hives especially in the autumn.
The National Bee Unit has added a new feature to BeeBase to help understand UK Asian hornet surveillance. 
Download the Asian hornet app which has photos to assist with identification and can be used to report any sightings:
​Asian Hornet Watch app for iPhone 
Asian Hornet Watch app for Android
And, of course, if you spot a nest don't try and destroy it yourself.  Alert the authorities! ​​
The BBC nationally focused on the threat Asian hornets pose to UK pollinators and ran stories across multiple channels on one day at the beginning of June, 2020. Among the experts interviewed was SBKA’s AHAT co-ordinator Lynne Ingram. Coverage included:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/science-environment-52896891/asian-hornet-uk-beekeepers-on-lookout-for-bee-eater
Bee Craft hosted an Asian hornet special webinar in September 2018 which is well worth a watch. It featured ​Colin Lodge (who set up the AHAT website), Gerry Stuart (who has helped to track Asian hornets in Jersey), and Kevin Baughen (who copes with Asian hornets on a daily basis in France).