Asian hornet sighted in Pulborough
10 June 2024
Pulborough Parish Council
An Asian hornet has been seen in the Rectory Lane/Moat Lane area and reported. If you see one of these, please could you also file a report with the Great British Non-Native Species Secretariat (NNSS) immediately. Details of how to recognize an Asian hornet and how to report it is available at the bottom of this page.
“Vespa velutina, the yellow legged hornet, commonly known as the Asian hornet, is native to Asia and was confirmed for the first time in Lot-et-Garonne in the Southwest of France in 2004. It was thought to have been imported in a consignment of pottery from China and it quickly established and spread to many regions of France. As of December 2022, Asian hornet is established in Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Jersey. The hornet preys on a wide range of insects including honeybees, Apis mellifera and disrupts the ecological role they provide. It has also altered the biodiversity in regions of France where it is present and can be a health risk to those who have allergies to hornet or wasp stings.
In 2016, the Asian hornet was discovered in the UK for the first time, in Tetbury. After 10 days of intensive searching, the nest was found and later destroyed. In subsequent years there have been further sightings with action taken to find and destroy nests. As of January 2023, genetic analysis has shown that there is no evidence for an established population of Asian hornets in the UK and all hornets found have been likely to be from the European population rather than a new incursion from Asia.”