Kill these Chinese invaders

Chinese invaders that need to be killed (note yellow legs)

These Chinese invaders were first detected in France in 2014, arriving as a nest in a consignment of pottery, but being aggressive critters they have spread widely (Belgium, Germany, Holland, Spain, Portugal) and finally got established in the UK, as far north as Hull, via trade with our Channel Islands.

They are not good news!    They need to be killed on sight!

As we know, nature isn't the fluffy world of cuteness often portrayed on TV, but an adversarial system that promotes dominance, and so it is with the "Yellow Legged Asian Hornet"; they are tough, invasive, aggressive and wiping out many of the UKs native pollinating bee species, especially docile honey bees which they eat. 

Without help from us they will wipe-out honey bees for they are able to kill a hive of Honey Bees in a single day. Their method is to simply sit at the entrance of a beehive, agitate the hive into attack mode, then bite their heads off and take the protein-rich bodies away to the nest to feed.

The life cycle of the Yellow Legged Asian Hornet is two-fold and it is at the first stage (Spring nest) that it is easy to eradicate (squash) them. The second stage (large nest) needs professional help to retrieve and kill them.

This link is more detailed

WORDS OF WARNING - Hornets bite hard!

Spring nest eradication is easy. Merely observe the nest, identify its occupants as Yellow Legged Asian Hornets (not native harmless wasps), then dislodge the nest into a bag with a gloved hand and then squash the bag.  A spring nest is typically no bigger than a tennis ball and best dealt with at dusk when they are at home and quiet. Don't poke the nest - just place a bag over it, knock it off and squish it. Spring nests are usually built in March/April, in sheds, lofts, garages or porches: places protected from the weather. Kill them at this stage and they can't breed in the second life cycle phase during the summer.

Knock Spring nest into a bag

Report  Larger Nests

The second life cycle nest, in the summer, will be a lot larger, usually up a tree, so after observing the occupants are actually the target (see identity marks in the picture), report it for official eradication. It will be dealt within days by trained people. Record the location and if possible take pictures, then contact the NNSS (Non Native Species Secretariat) on the email address alertnonnativ@ceh.ac.uk, or the National Bee Unit at York. Remember to look out for yellow legs.

If you happen to live in and around Hull, contact the Beverley Beekeepers Association if you suspect a sighting of a Yellow Legged Asian Hornet. You will be saving their industry, preserving parts of your food supply and eradicate what is an invasive and dangerous species. Please be vigilant and pass this information to as many people as you can.

Update Feb 9th 2024

Though their invasion continues there is a sign that evolutionary processes are at work, at least with the most common of European Bumble bee species.