The UK is on high alert for an invasion of deadly Asian hornets, with numbers expected to rise by 3,000 per cent. Last year, the UK saw a frightening 3,800 per cent increase in sightings of these deadly insects.

These hornets pose a significant threat as they can destroy entire bee hives within hours and their swarms can be fatal to humans and other large mammals due to their venomous sting. Only two encounters with these predators were reported in 2022, but that number rose to 78 in 2023.

The British Beekeepers’ Association has already reported four sightings of Asian hornets this year, which is unusual as this is months before the usual season. Ian Campbell of the BBKA expressed his concerns to The Sun on Sunday: “They are now widespread in Europe and are causing utter devastation and that is what we are facing this year. There could be thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands, by the end of the year.”

A single Asian hornet can kill up to 50 honey bees in one fell swoop. These ruthless insects decapitate their victims and remove their intestines to feed their larvae.

Beekeeper Simon Spratley, from Kent, suffered a catastrophic loss last year when Asian hornets destroyed 15 of his 17 hives, the Mirror reported. He expressed his concern, saying: “In my 13 years of beekeeping, I have never been so scared. An average nest of Asian hornets produces up to 800 queens a year, of which around 90 per cent die in a typical winter. But as we have only had one night of temperatures below -5 degrees this winter, up to 90 per cent will survive.”

“If you get within 50 metres of them, they will become extremely aggressive and will come in swarms of thousands to fight you off. They have a 6mm long stinger that allows them to strike repeatedly and once you have been stung, a pheromone is released that drives them all mad and causes them to kill. You will not be able to outrun them.”

In response to the threat, the BBKA recently launched an app that encourages the public to report any sightings. The Asian Hornet Watch app is available for both iPhone and Android devices and is intended to be an important tool in controlling the hornet population.

Commenting on the initiative, Ian said: “We rely on the public to help us keep the population as under control as possible. It is very important to distinguish between the smaller Asian hornet and the larger, native European hornet.”

Look for differences in size and pattern. While Asian hornets have dark abdomens with thin orange stripes, their European counterparts have yellow abdomens.

The Asian hornet measures about 25 mm in length, while the European species are slightly larger at 30–35 mm.

Earlier this year, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed the capture of a hornet on 11 March after it was spotted in Ash, Kent. This sighting was significantly earlier than the first sighting last year, which occurred on 11 April – a month later in the year.

After analysis by an expert in the laboratory, it was confirmed that the captured specimen was indeed an Asian hornet. Beekeepers are raising the alarm because numerous nests of an invasive species may have been missed, potentially allowing fertile hornet queens to escape and establish new colonies in the UK. Diane Drinkwater, chair of the British Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA), expressed her concerns: “I suspect it is a winter queen that was born here. That has not been confirmed, but it would be logical.”

“Their life cycle is not far enough along to have developed workers yet, so I suspect they have not migrated from outside, but perhaps we have missed a nest somewhere. We have had a lot of rain, so many places where they hibernate may have been flooded. We always hope that many of them will die out.”