Asian hornet sightings in the UK confirmed
29th April 2025
Defra has confirmed sightings of the yellow-legged hornet, also known as the Asian hornet (Vespa velutina), in the UK this month.
There was one sighting of a yellow-legged hornet in January and one in March 2025.
The Asian hornet poses no greater risk to human health than our native wasps and hornets. However, they can harm honeybees and insect pollinators.
In 2023, the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit attended every credible sighting, locating and destroying 72 nests in 56 locations, with the majority of nests found in Kent.
The organisation has also been taking action to eradicate the Asian hornet in the UK, and last spring it rolled out trapping in areas where there was an increased risk that Asian hornet queens may have overwintered.
The traps, which have the means to allow non-target invertebrates to escape, were set at locations across Kent, East Sussex, Devon and North Yorkshire.
Asian hornets are not yet established in the UK. Early trapping is a key part of our surveillance for this invasive species and fundamental to our eradication efforts, APHA explained.
At the beginning of 2024, the British Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA) also issued a warning for vintners and fruit growers about the detrimental impact Asian hornets would have on agriculture if they became established in the UK.
What do Asian hornets look like?
Asian hornets are distinctive and can be identified by their very dark body, wide orange stripe on the fourth abdomen section and yellow leg ends.
They are much larger in size than our native hornets. However, yellow-legged Asian hornets are smaller than European hornets.
The average for Asian hornet workers is 25mm as opposed to 30mm for European hornet.
READ MORE: Public warned to be ‘increasingly vigilant’ and report Asian hornet sightings
If you suspect you have seen an Asian hornet you should report it using the iPhone and Android app ‘Asian Hornet Watch’ or by using Defra’s online report form.
Identification guides and more information are available and if you keep bees you should keep up to date with the latest situation on the gov.uk sightings page and on BeeBase.
It is important not to approach or disturb a nest. Asian hornets are not generally aggressive towards people but may be when they perceive a threat to their nest.
Read more fruit news.
