Prevent the spread of invasive, non-native plants and insects.

Vespa velutina, Asian Hornet

What is it?

    • Asian hornets were first recorded in the UK in 2016
    • Queens are up to 3cm (1.2in) in length, while workers are up to 2.5cm (1in)
    • The hornets have a dark brown or black velvety body, bordered with a fine yellow band
    • They nest openly in trees and hedges, unlike European hornets which often nest in cavities
    • They hover near hives to snatch worker bees, mascerate them into a pellet and take them back to their colony
  • Their sting is no more potent than the European hornet’s
  • Chief plant health officer, Nicola Spence: “By ensuring we are alerted to possible sightings as early as possible, we can take swift and effective action to stamp out the threat posed by Asian hornets.”Source: National Bee Unit / University of Exeter/ Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Have you seen this insect

ASIAN HORNET

Vespa velutina

An invasive non-native hornet originally from Asia. Suspected records should be reported immediately. A highly aggressive predator of native insects, posing a significant threat to honey bees and other pollinators. Accidentally introduced to France in 2004 where it spread rapidly. A number of sightings have been recorded in the UK since 2016.

Workers up to 25mm in length

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Entirely dark thorax

Dark abdomen

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Yellow tips to legs

Where might I see it?

Most likely to be seen close to bee hives – bee keepers should be alert. Active from February to November in suburban areas in the south of England and Wales, or around major ports.

What does it look like?

Distinctive hornet, smaller than our native species. A key feature is the almost entirely dark abdomen, except for the 4th segment which is yellow.

➤ Slightly smaller than native hornet
➤ Dark abdomen, 4th segment yellow
➤ Bright yellow tips to legs (native hornet dark)
➤ Entirely brown or black thorax (native hornet more orange)

➤ Makes very large nests

Asian Hornet abdomen

Native Hornet abdomen

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DANGER!

This hornet stings. Do not disturb an active nest. Seek advice using
the details below.

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➤ ‘Hawks’ outside honey bee colonies killing bees as they attempt to defend their hive

For more information or to report any sightings please go to:

or email:

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Please report any sightings of Asian Hornet as soon as possible.

Asian Hornet, (Vespa velutina

Vespa velutina, also known
 as the Asian hornet is an invasive non-native species from Asia.  It arrived in France in 2004 where it spread rapidly.  As a highly effective predator of insects, including honey bees and other beneficial species, it can cause significant losses to bee colonies, and potentially other native species.  

OverviewShort description of Vespa velutina, Asian Hornet

Slightly smaller than native hornets; queens up to 30mm, workers up to 25mm.  Distinctive: thorax velvety black/dark brown; abdominal segments brown with fine yellow band, only the fourth segment almost entirely yellow-orange.

Asian hornet v European hornet.

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Legs brown with yellow ends; head black with orange-yellow face.

Habitat summary: Vespa velutina, Asian Hornet

Mainly in areas with deciduous trees where nests are built; sometimes in or around buildings where these provide suitable nest sites.

It is important to report any suspected sightings of this species as soon as possible.  Vigalence is particularly required in southern parts of England and the areas where other sightings have been made (Devon, Somerset and Gloucestershire).  The Asian hornet is active mainly between April and November (peak August/September) and is inactive over the winter.

Ideally sightings should be sent in via the Asian Hornet Watch app or the online recording form using the links below:

However, you can also email us if you have a sighting.  Please send a photograph and location details to:

 

Bug hunt: Volunteers needed to spot insect’s ‘spittle’

Media captionScientists want your help tracking spittlebugs.

Ever seen a blob of foam on a plant and wondered how it got there?

The frothy spittle, sometimes called cuckoo spit, is actually a telltale sign that an insect known as the spittlebug is feeding on a plant.

Scientists are calling for thousands of volunteers to help record sightings of spittle and spittlebugs across the UK.

The information will be used to map the distribution of the insect, in a pre-emptive strike against a deadly plant disease.

Xylella has struck several EU countries, blighting olive groves in southern Italy. The UK is clear of the disease but is on high alert.

Spittlebug

There are a huge number of plants the Xylella bacterium could affect, from garden plants like the rosemary and lavender to the oak, said Dr Rebekah Robinson, senior plant pathologist at the Royal Horticultural Society.

Xylella has 563 different host plants worldwide, so it affects a huge range of different species,” she told BBC News.

“One of the really devastating things that could happen is that it could actually affect our native tree species as well, things like oak trees, a number of different ash species, sycamore – key plants in our landscape.”

Scientists are calling for volunteers to record where and when they’ve seen spittle or spittlebugs, in gardens, meadows, grasslands and woodlands.

Red-and-black spittlebug at the Sussex Wildlife Trust's Woods Mill Nature Reserve
Image captionRed-and-black spittlebug at the Sussex Wildlife Trust’s Woods Mill Nature Reserve
Spittle on a meadow flower
Image captionSpittle on a meadow flower at the reserve
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Facts about the spittlebug

    • Small, sap-sucking insects which are also known as froghoppers
  • Can be found in UK gardens, meadows, grasslands and woodlands from April to late June
    • The most common species in the UK is the meadow spittlebug (Philaenus spumarius). Adults are 0.5cm long and vary in pattern and colour from pale brown to black and can jump more than ten times their body length
    • The red-and-black spittlebug produces spittle on the roots of plants, rather than the stems
  • There are ten species of spittlebug in the UK and the young – called nymphs – all produce whitish, frothy blobs of spittle on leaves and branches.

Source: RHS

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Spittlebug nymph on leaf

The results will be used to map the distribution of the insect to better understand how Xylella might enter and spread in the UK.

Dr Alan Stewart, Reader of Ecology at the University of Sussex said we need to learn as much as we possibly can about what kinds of plants they feed on, what habitats they occupy, and where they are in the country.

“So, ultimately, if the worst possible happens, and the disease does arrive in Britain, we’ll be able to make some really good predictions about how it’s likely to spread and how quickly.”

What is Xylella?

Xylella fastidiosa arrived in Europe six years ago, devastating olive groves in southern Italy and spreading to other countries in the EU, including parts of France and Spain.

Olive trees killed by the disease in Italy
Image captionOlive trees killed by the disease in Italy

The disease is caused by a bacterium which is moved from one plant to another by plant-sucking insects such as the spittlebug.

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According to experts, Xylella is one of the most dangerous pathogens worldwide.

If found in the UK, all host plants within 100m would need to be destroyed and there would be immediate movement restrictions on some plants within a 5km radius for up to five years.

The most commonly found invasive, non-native plants include:

Japanese Knotweed.

  •  
  • description of Heracleum mantegazzianum, Giant Hogweed

    Aptly named ‘giant’, this umbellifer (member of the cow-parsley family) has flowering stems typically 2-3 m high bearing umbels of flowers up to 80 cm in diameter.

  • The basal leaves are often 1 m or more in size.
  • The plant produces phytotoxic sap. The sap contains photosensitizing furanocoumarins, which in contact with human skin and combined with UV radiation cause skin burnings. The intensity of the reaction depends on individual sensitivity. The danger to human health complicates eradication efforts.
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    Key ID Features

    Shield shaped leaves

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    Zig-zag stems

    Flat base

    Purple speckled stems

    Regular nodes (like bamboo)

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    Shield shaped leaves

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