The West Dorset Bee Keepers Association is highlighting concerns about the Asian Hornet, with increasing reports of sightings including in West Dorset.
It is a highly aggressive predator of native insects and poses a significant threat to honey bees and other pollinators.
It isn’t a native species and urgent steps are needed to prevent it from establishing itself on the UK mainland. To date, the incursions identified last year appear to have been contained, but the association warned that it’s a matter of when, not if, it establishes itself permanently.
Anyone who spots an Asian Hornet is urged to report the sighting in one of the following ways:
- with the iPhone and Android recording app: Asian Hornet Watch
- online at: www.nonnativespecies.org/alerts/asianhornet
- by email: alertnonnative@ceh.ac.uk
The association website at https://www.westdorsetbees.org.uk/ has more information on the Asian Hornet, the dangers it poses, and what you can do about it. The GB Non-Native Species Secretariat has issued a guide to identifying the Asian Hornet, available from https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/nonnativespecies/downloadDocument.cfm?id=646.
