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.