Defra remains committed to taking action against Yellow-Legged Hornets (YLHs) in England in 2026 and the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit (NBU) stand ready to respond to reported sightings. The NBU will follow up credible reports of YLHs to find and destroy nests.

Defra continues to share the message about the threat of Yellow Legged Hornets (YLHs) to pollinators including honey bees and encourages the public to report suspected sightings. The Department uses a range of communication channels to inform beekeepers and the wider public.

The Non-Native Species Secretariat (NNSS) works with over 50 local actions groups and a wide range of other organisations to raise awareness of YLH and has distributed over 48,000 Yellow-Legged Hornet awareness raising materials since January 2026.

Invasive Species Week is an annual event to raise awareness of invasive non-native species and how everyone can help to reduce their impacts. This year it will take place from 22 to 28 June 2026. Tuesday 23 June will focus on recording and volunteering and will include events highlighting work on YLH.

Additional media opportunities for awareness raising will be used as they arise.

As part of the wider work to support pollinators, Defra has committed to delivering a refreshed Pollinator Action Plan, as part of the broader Environmental Improvement Plan. This will set out key actions for pollinators in England.

Since 2016 the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit (NBU) have been taking action against incursions of Yellow-Legged Hornets (YLHs) also known as Asian hornet. During this time a total of 270 YLH nests were found and destroyed. Defra remains committed to taking action against YLH and the NBU stand ready to respond to reports of YLH in 2026. Defra have not engaged with the NHS about how to combat the threats posed by YLHs.

Since 2016 the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit (NBU) have responded to incursions of Yellow Legged Hornet (YLH) into Great Britain. The NBU has developed a fine-tuned and effective response which allows them to find and destroy nests to prevent YLH establishing. During 2025 the NBU has drawn on support from other members of staff within APHA and used new technology to deliver the response. For tracking, the inspectors have been trialling Robor Nature Units which use a handheld device to add tiny trackers to hornets. The tracker is then used to follow the hornet and find the nest so it can be destroyed and removed. For monitoring, field tests have been carried out using VespAI, a visual monitoring system developed by the University of Exeter which uses artificial intelligence to carry out surveillance for YLH. As of 23 October 2025, the NBU have found and destroyed a total of 155 Yellow Legged Hornet nests.

Defra is continuing to follow an eradication strategy against Yellow Legged Hornet (also known as Asian Hornet) to prevent this invasive non-native species from establishing in GB. Contingency action is delivered by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). As of 23 October 2025, the APHA have found and destroyed a total of 155 Yellow Legged Hornet nests.

The British Irish Council (BIC) has an Invasive Species Work Sector which shares expertise and learning across the eight BIC administrations and makes decisions on common policies and approaches with respect to Invasive Species. Members include the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive. There is a Work Plan for this Work Sector and Asian hornets are one of the five key areas of focus.

Over £500 million a year is contributed by bees and other pollinating insects to UK agriculture, through improvements to crop quality and quantity. If Asian hornet (also known as Yellow Legged Hornet) were to become established in the UK, this could have a major impact on pollinators. With respect to food security the impact would be greatest on crops which are dependent on insects for pollination such as apples, strawberries, field beans and oilseed rape. Since 2016 the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit (NBU) have responded to incursions of Yellow Legged Hornet (YLH) into Great Britain. The NBU has developed a fine-tuned and effective response which allows them to find and destroy nests to prevent YLH establishing.

Defra and staff from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) have worked closely with officials from Northern Ireland to help them prepare and publish a contingency plan for action against Asian hornets. A sighting of Asian hornet was reported on 10^th October close to Dundonald in Northern Ireland. Inspectors from the APHA National Bee Unit and the APHA Non-Native Species Inspectorate have drawn on their extensive experience and provided support to officials in Northern Ireland about deployment of the contingency plan to find and destroy a nest.

Defra is continuing to follow an eradication strategy against Yellow Legged Hornet (also known as Asian Hornet) to prevent this invasive non-native species from establishing in GB. Contingency action is delivered by the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit (NBU). As of 10^th October 2025, the NBU have found and destroyed a total of 143 Yellow Legged Hornet nests.

The response to Asian hornet also known as Yellow-Legged Hornet (YLH) is carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) National Bee Unit (NBU). The NBU do this as part of the overall programme of work that they deliver for Defra from the funding allocated to APHA. There isn’t a specific budget allocated to the response to YLH. Being part of APHA means the NBU can draw on further resources which allows them to take action on notifiable bee diseases, while continuing to provide an effective response to YLH.

In 2023 there was a large increase in the number of YLH nests found in GB and the NBU located and destroyed 72 nests in 56 locations. Further analyses during the winter of 2023 indicated that a few of the nests may have reached maturity and released queens which overwintered. Therefore in 2024 the NBU carried out spring trapping for YLH in 4 areas across the south of GB. Additional funds were allocated for the spring trapping work.

There has been 0.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff assigned to nest destruction in 2022, 2023 and 2025. This means they were assigned to that role and available on call when needed.

There has been one FTE Senior Operational Lead dedicated to yellow-legged hornet since 2024 to manage the overall response.

No other staff are employed or allocated on a full-time basis to yellow-legged hornet The response is managed by redeploying staff from other business as usual delivery, based on outbreak demand.

The response to Yellow-Legged Hornet (YLH) also known as Asian hornet is carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) National Bee Unit (NBU). The NBU do this as part of the overall programme of work that they deliver for Defra from the funding allocated to APHA. The NBU has been taking action against YLH since 2016 and has developed a fine-tuned effective response. They frequently find a nest within a day of an initial sighting being reported. Therefore, Defra has not established dedicated Asian hornet rapid response teams.

A risk assessment was completed for Vespa velutina nigrithorax, the Asian hornet in 2011. The assessment concluded that Asian hornets eat a wide range of insect species including honey bees and that if this species were to become established in the UK, it would have a serious impact on biodiversity. For this reason, Defra and Welsh Government developed an Asian hornet contingency plan which outlines the government response and what actions will be taken when incursions of Asian hornet occur. Contingency action has been taken against all credible sightings of Asian hornet that have been reported in the UK since the first occurred in 2016.

The response to Yellow-legged hornet (YLH) also known as Asian hornet, is carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) National Bee Unit (NBU). The NBU has been taking action against YLH since 2016 and has developed a fine-tuned response. In 2024, 24 nests were located and destroyed, compared to 72 nests in 2023. They frequently find a nest within a day of an initial sighting being reported.

The NBU are able to draw on further resources from wider APHA to manage the impact on other areas of NBU work including taking action on notifiable bee diseases, while continuing to provide an effective response to YLH.

Genetic analysis of hornet samples, conducted by Fera Science Ltd., also aids the response. Results from the analyses of nests destroyed in 2024, have been used to identify areas where there is a higher risk of hornets overwintering. In 2025, spring trapping will be carried out by the NBU in these areas. Although evidence was found that hornets had overwintered in 2023 this is not considered to be strong evidence of an established YLH population.

Contingency action has been taken against the Yellow-Legged Hornet (YLH) since the first GB incursion in 2016. Contingency action is delivered on the ground by the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit (NBU). The NBU have located and destroyed 1-4 nests each year since 2016. However, in 2023 72 nests were located and destroyed.

Genetic analysis of hornet samples is carried out to inform the response for the following year. From the analysis of samples from 2023, some areas were identified where there was a risk that hornet queens may have been released, overwintered and created new nests in the spring.

In 2024 the NBU carried out spring trapping at these locations and caught a small number of lone hornets. Results from analyses of these hornets provided evidence that hornets had overwintered. However, this is not considered to be evidence of YLH being established in GB.

From August 2024 the NBU have been responding to credible sightings of YLH and as of 7th October 2024, have located and destroyed 19 YLH nests.

Raising awareness is a key aspect of the response, allowing swift and effective action to be taken to stamp out the threat posed by Asian hornets.

The Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) is not currently considered established in the UK and therefore is still being addressed via rapid response measures. The Asian hornet contingency plan covers the action that will be taken against Asian hornets with the NBU responding to credible sightings to locate and destroy any nests.

For a species to be considered established, there should be evidence of a reproducing population having been present in the wild for a significant number of generations, that is considered viable in the long term without any human intervention. Whilst there has been presence of overwintered hornets produced from a nest found and destroyed late last year, it is not considered to be strong evidence of an established population.

Defra will continue to follow an eradication strategy against Asian hornets until this becomes unviable at which point a change in approach will be required.

The Asian hornet is an invasive non-native species, and a current GB alert species, which means that systems are in place to detect and then implement contingency plans to rapidly eradicate them in order to prevent establishment.

It is regularly discussed as an item on the agenda of monthly Minister-led meetings reviewing biosecurity priorities. In addition, officials have provided one briefing meeting specifically on Asian hornets in the last 12 months.

The National Bee Unit (NBU), part of the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) have a long-standing relationship with Defra to deliver the Bee Health Programme which includes management and control of honeybee pests and diseases and responding to outbreaks of Asian hornets. As part of APHA, the NBU have already and will continue to draw on further resources from the wider agency to take action on Asian hornets. There is an Asian hornet contingency plan in place which details the government response to Asian hornets and it is regularly reviewed. The most effective way of minimising the threat of Asian hornets is through our continued eradication response, with the aim of preventing Asian hornets from establishing.

The NBU has been taking action against Asian hornets since 2016 and has a fine-tuned response. The Inspectors frequently find a nest within a day of an initial sighting being reported. From 2016 to 2022, there were 23 confirmed sightings, leading to the destruction of 13 nests. In 2023, the well-developed strategy was scaled up to deal with increased incursions with 78 confirmed sightings and 72 nests destroyed.

We are using a range of communication channels to raise awareness and keep beekeepers and the public informed about Asian hornets. To support accurate and timely reporting, Defra has funded development of the Asian hornet watch app. The NBU keep beekeepers informed of the response through updates published on BeeBase and have also carried out other awareness raising activities, including a blog filmed in Kent to support Asian Hornet Week in 2023. The Non-Native Species Secretariat (NNSS) works with over 50 local actions groups and a wide range of other organisations to raise awareness of Asian hornets. In 2023 they sent out 14,000 alert posters and 25,000 ID sheets, and since January 2024 they have sent a further 31,000 alert posters, 57,000 ID sheets, and 14,000 nest ID sheets. Professor Nicola Spence, the Defra Deputy Director for Plant and Bee Health, Plant Varieties and Seeds, has provided press interviews covering details of the response to Asian hornets. Defra is hosting an exhibit at the 2024 Chelsea Flower Show dedicated to raising awareness of the Asian hornet, to increase vigilance amongst the public.

The Government recognises the essential role played by honey bees and wild pollinators in our environment, acknowledging their contribution to crop pollination. Additionally, pollinators play a vital role in supporting the natural ecosystem.

Asian hornets prey on honey bees and other pollinators so pose a significant threat to these insects. To date rapid action has been taken in the UK to find and destroy Asian hornet nests.

In 2023 a total of 72 nests were located and destroyed, the majority of these were located in the South-East (62). The National Bee Unit (NBU), part of the Animal and Plant Health Agency, rapidly located and destroyed the nests so we would expect any impacts on honey bee colonies and other pollinators to be small and localised.

From the analysis of nests found in 2023, a number of areas were identified where there is a low risk that Asian hornet queens may have overwintered. To address this, the NBU is carrying out spring trapping and working collaboratively with stakeholders to monitor traps at locations across Kent, East Sussex, Devon and North Yorkshire.

The Government remains committed to taking swift and effective contingency action against Asian hornet in 2024 thereby continuing to minimise the impacts on honey bees and other pollinators.