UK heat record raises fears of hornet invasion surge

Asian hornet populations are expected to increase rapidly as Britain experiences another of its hottest years on record, The Telegraph reports.

Experts have warned that unusually warm temperatures could trigger an explosion in activity among the invasive species’ queens.

The Met Office is forecasting 2026 to be one of Britain’s hottest years on record, following an unusually warm spring.

Luke Newnes, an expert on Asian hornets, said: “With 2026 is tracking as one of the warmest years in recent records, the warmer conditions are likely to accelerate emergence activity.”

Asian hornets, which can consume around 11kg of insects in a single season, pose a significant threat to British honeybees, which make up around a third of their diet. The remainder consists of other pollinators such as moths, flies, butterflies and other species of bees.

The insects were first sighted in the UK in 2016, but experts warned last year that they had successfully survived winter for the first time.

Since the first nest was destroyed a decade ago, the number of nests in Britain has risen to 161, up from 24 in 2024. One nest can produce dozens of queens, meaning that if a single nest is missed, around 30 more could emerge the following year.

Mr Newnes said: “The concern with Asian hornets is how quickly populations can scale once queens establish successfully.

“What makes 2026 particularly concerning is the acceleration we’re now seeing in both sightings and geographical spread.

“We’re no longer talking about isolated coastal incidents. Sightings are appearing much further inland, and many experts now believe the focus has shifted from eradication to long-term management.”

Originally confined to south-east Asia, warmer weather has enabled the species to spread northwards into Europe.

In the UK, Asian hornets are most commonly found in southern and south-eastern England, often arriving via cars, lorries, and fruit transported across the Channel.

They are also increasingly moving north, with a nest recorded in Runcorn, Cheshire, in September last year.

Niall Gallagher, technical manager at the British Pest Control Association, warned that it is “crucial” to prevent the spread of the species, saying they would “disrupt our native ecosystems and impact crop production”.

Dr Peter Kennedy, a conservationist at the University of Exeter, added: “The only means of halting the spread, or limiting it, is to find and destroy nests as soon as possible.”

However, experts have cautioned the public against attempting to approach or remove nests without professional assistance, as hornets can become aggressive when disturbed.

Instead, members of the public are being encouraged to download the Asian hornet app, which allows sightings to be reported to the National Bee Unit for verification and response.

Britain recently broke its record for the hottest May nights for three consecutive days. The Met Office reported that minimum temperature records for the month were exceeded when Camborne, Cornwall, did not fall below 21.4C overnight.

Alex Burkill, a Met Office meteorologist, described the record-breaking heat as “extraordinary” and “quite worrying”.

By Vafa Guliyeva