Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent the spread of Asian hornets in England.

Defra and the Welsh Government developed the Asian hornet contingency plan (copy attached) in response to the spread of Asian hornet across Europe and the associated impacts reported on honey bees and pollinators. The Contingency Plan details what actions will be taken when incursions of Asian hornet occur with the aim of preventing this species establishing and spreading in the UK.

We have taken contingency action against all credible sightings of Asian hornet that have been reported in the UK since the first occurrence in 2016. Contingency action is delivered on the ground by the National Bee Unit (NBU) – part of the Animal and Plant Health Agency. As of 12^th September 2023, the NBU have located 43 Asian hornet nests this year.

Genetic analyses of hornet and nest samples are done to determine relatedness and assess whether Asian hornets are established in England. Evidence from previous years suggested that all 13 Asian hornet nests found in the UK between 2016 and 2022 were separate incursions and there is nothing to suggest that Asian hornets are established in the UK.  We have not seen any evidence which demonstrates that Asian hornets discovered in England this year were produced by queens that overwintered. More detailed analysis will be done over winter to assess this.

Raising awareness is a key aspect of the response. We ask anyone who thinks they may have spotted an Asian hornet to report it through the Asian hornet app or online. By ensuring we are alerted to possible sightings as early as possible, we can take swift and effective action to stamp out the threat posed by Asian hornets.