Asian Hornets Have Survived British Winter and Could Be Here to Stay

The UK’s Chief Plant Health Officer Nicola Spence has called for beekeepers and the public to watch out for Asian hornets after record sightings in Britain last year. In recent years Asian hornets have been spotted in the UK in the summer, having literally flown in from France. But it appears they may now have stayed and survived during the winter in Britain. The National Bee Unit reported that an Asian hornet that was trapped in Four Oaks, Kent on May 10 was genetically similar to those from a nest in Rye, East Sussex, which was destroyed in November 2023. It said, “The analysis has indicated that the hornets found at Four Oaks are overwintered offspring of the nest destroyed in Rye.”...