Hornet invaders: British public urged to report yellow-legged bee killers

Originating from Asia, invasive yellow-legged hornets have spread across western Europe, threatening bee populations.

Yellow-legged hornet nest.
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Researchers have emphasised the vital role of public reporting in controlling the invasive yellow-legged hornet (also known as the Asian hornet) in Great Britain.

Indigenous to Southeast Asia, the hornet (scientific name: Vespa velutina nigrithorax) was first detected in France in 2004 and has since rapidly spread across western Europe, including Great Britain.

Tracking an invasion – a single Asian hornet sparked the ongoing spread across Europe

This species poses a serious danger to native pollinators, especially honeybees (Apis mellifera), which lack natural defenses against the hornet’s predation. The hornet’s arrival threatens both biodiversity and the beekeeping industry, with intense predation leading to depleted colony reserves and deaths.

A new research paper published in the open-access journal NeoBiota presents a simulation model that predicts the hornet’s dispersal and gauges how long official nest-detection efforts could remain effective before being overwhelmed. The model considers natural dispersal, genetic factors such as the production of diploid (and therefore infertile) males and the realistic distribution of public observers in the landscape.

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Without public reporting, the study found that hornet populations in Britain could become unmanageable within 3–7 years of undetected spread, overwhelming resources for nest detection and destruction. However, when public and beekeeper reports are incorporated, control efforts can remain effective for at least 10 years, with this window extending based on reporting rates and observer density.

Three maps of Great Britain showing a decreasing density of hornet sightings correlating with increasing public reports.
Mean density of undetected nests (per km2), estimated at year six for scenarios involving two incursions per year. A) Average density in scenarios where control is absent B) Under the lowest national reporting probability C) Under the highest national reporting probability. Each scenario was estimated across all 100 simulations.

Proximity to populated areas greatly increases the likelihood of successful nest discovery and destruction as they are much better protected due to frequent sightings and reports. Conversely, nests in remote or sparsely populated zones pose a greater risk of escaping detection and fueling further invasion.

Public awareness campaigns, online reporting tools, and targeted outreach to beekeepers have proved highly effective. For instance, in 2023, nearly 21,000 public reports led to 72 nests being destroyed. Now researchers call for continued improvement of such engagement strategies, especially in vulnerable low-density regions.

Do think you’ve seen a yellow-legged hornet in Great Britain? Report it here.

Original source

Warren DA, Budgey R, Semmence N, Jones EP, Jones B (2025) Public reporting is essential for controlling the invasive yellow-legged hornet: a novel model simulating the spread of Vespa velutina nigrithorax and timescales for control in Great Britain. NeoBiota 101: 25-44. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.101.148570

Tags: invasive alien species, Hymenoptera, biodiversity, Asian hornet, beetle conservation, Yellow-legged hornet