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In 2023, Asian hornets started arriving in the UK en masse. Though predominantly found in Kent around the Channel ports, at least one nest was found near Newhaven, just down the road. What we don’t know is how many hibernating queens managed to survive the winter and so start building new nests in spring which, come the autumn, could contain thousands of hornets, fuelled by munching on honey bees which they regard as easy meat, and ready to start the cycle all over again. If you’d like to know more about hornets and bees of all sorts, how they co-exist – or not, and the impact that Asian hornets could have on our wildlife and our economy, this is where to find out. Picture 1 above is of an Asian Hornet. Picture 2 above is of an Asian Hornet confronting a bee at the hive. Picture 3 shows the difference between the Asian Hornet and the native European Hornet.

Wine and nibbles will be available in the interval.

I am a beekeeper based in Lewes and a member of Brighton & Lewes Beekeepers, who was tasked by the group in 2017 with keeping an eye on Asian hornets. Official title: Asian Hornet Team Co-ordinator. A bit like the Phony War of 1939, I didn’t have much to do for the first few years, just wait and watch as France was invaded.

But 2024 promises to be different – very different. My job now is to help beekeepers assist members of the public to identify Asian hornets, and more importantly, explain what they need to do when they see something that might be one. When I started beekeeping over eight years ago, I never imagined that I’d be fighting off mass invasions of predatory hornets. But that’s the job now. At least the delay gave me time to research the problem.