Asian hornet numbers are expected to reach new record levels in the UK this summer – but there are ways to avoid getting a nasty sting. Nature groups have issued a warning of a potential surge this summer not only from hornets flying over the Channel from Europe but also as a result of nests established in 2023. There were already a record 56 sightings and 72 nests across the UK last year, mostly in Kent and the south of England.
So far, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has recorded eight confirmed sightings so far this year. But experts believe the number of nests could exceed 100 this year. Ian Campbell, from the British Beekeepers’ Association, said Asian hornets are not “individually aggressive” but the danger is if you get anywhere near a nest.
Parents should tell children to avoid going near to bees nests to avoid stings. “They defend their nests aggressively,” Mr Campbell said. “They don’t swarm but they will come out in high numbers and attack whoever is too close to the nest.
” This can often be a problem for agricultural workers but they also pose a threat to biodiversity as their preferred diet is honey bees and insect pollinators, he said. Paul Hetherington, spokesperson for the conservation charity Buglife, also said the hornets are not a risk to humans unless you are allergic to their sting, but that they do pose “ significant risks to our native populations of bees” . “One nest of Asian hornets is probably capabl.
