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Is the Asian hornet established in the UK?

BeesReviewed 2026-08-20

Short answerIt dependsEmerging research

Partly, and the honest answer changed recently. As at August 2026, analyses of nests found in England between 2016 and 2024 indicate a limited established population, and spring 2025 queens were genetically identified as offspring of nests destroyed in 2024 — so the hornet is overwintering here rather than only arriving. The official programme to find and destroy nests continues. Neither 'not established' nor 'established across the UK' describes the position.

Where the belief comes from

For most of the decade after the first British record in 2016, the accurate summary was that each find was a fresh incursion and that eradication was working. That summary was repeated for years, was true when written, and is the version most coverage still carries. The evidence moved during 2025 and the soundbite did not.

What the evidence shows, as at August 2026

  • First British record: 2016. For several years afterwards, finds were treated and traced as separate incursions from the continent.
  • Genetic analysis of spring 2025 hornets identified four queens as likely offspring of nests destroyed in England in 2024. That is direct evidence of successful overwintering rather than new arrival.
  • Kinship analyses across nests found in England from 2016 to 2024 indicate a limited established population.
  • The 2025 season recorded 163 nests found and 544 credible sightings.
  • In December 2025 Defra confirmed that the National Bee Unit would not run spring trapping in England in 2026, because of the number and geographic spread of late-season nest finds in 2025, and asked it to concentrate on finding and destroying nests later in the season instead.

Read together, those say something more specific than either headline allows. There is a population here that is reproducing and surviving winters, it is limited rather than widespread, incursions from the continent continue alongside it, and the response has been re-shaped rather than abandoned. A change in tactics is not the same as a change in objective, and standing down spring trapping was a judgement about where effort pays rather than a concession that the hornet has won.

Why this page is dated, and where to get the current figure

HoneyHQ registers this answer as refresh-sensitive rather than treating it as settled. That is a deliberate architectural choice: the failure mode for a reference site is not getting a fact wrong on the day, it is leaving a correct fact in place for three years after it stopped being one.

What is actually asked of the public

Report sightings, with a photograph, through the Asian Hornet Watch app or the National Bee Unit's online notification form. Public reports are what the surveillance programme runs on, and a photograph is what turns a report into a confirmable record rather than a note.

  • Photograph from a distance. A poor photograph of a real hornet beats a clear memory of one.
  • Check the legs before reporting. Yellow leg-ends and a very dark body distinguish it from the native European hornet, which is larger, browner and not a problem.
  • Report a suspected nest rather than approaching it. Never attempt to treat or remove one.
  • Outside the UK, the national bee health or plant health authority runs the equivalent scheme.

The claims behind this answer

Emerging research

Real studies exist and point somewhere, but they are small, in vitro, in animals, or not yet replicated. Direction is not the same as a result.

Emerging research

As at August 2026, the yellow-legged hornet has a limited established population in England while remaining the subject of an active find-and-destroy programme.

Kinship analyses of nests found 2016-2024 indicate a limited established population; four spring 2025 queens were genetically identified as offspring of 2024 nests, demonstrating overwintering. 163 nests and 544 credible sightings were recorded in 2025. Spring trapping in England was stood down for 2026 in favour of in-season nest destruction.

What this does not claim: It does not claim establishment across the United Kingdom, does not give a figure for any season after 2025, and does not state that eradication has been abandoned. It describes one jurisdiction on one date and requires re-checking against the current official update.

  • Yellow-legged hornet: status, monitoring and reporting (BeeBase) — Animal and Plant Health Agency, National Bee Unit (2026) · Regulatory guidance Link

Sources

  • Yellow-legged hornet: status, monitoring and reporting (BeeBase) — Animal and Plant Health Agency, National Bee Unit (2026) · Regulatory guidance Link
  • The invasion, provenance and diversity of Vespa velutina Lepeletier (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in Great Britain — PLOS ONE (2017) · Peer-reviewed article
  • HoneyHQ editorial synthesis — HEKNO Ltd · HoneyHQ synthesis

How sources are selected and weighted is set out in the sources and evidence policy.

Work it out for yourself

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