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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to encourage people to report sightings of Asian Hornets to her Department.

Any credible sightings of Asian hornet are treated extremely seriously as it is an invasive species that is a serious predator of honey bees and other pollinating insects. This year we have seen an increased number of sightings when compared to previous years, so accurate and timely reporting by members of the public is essential in allowing us to continue to respond effectively.

To make reporting easier for members of the public, Defra promotes the use of the ‘Asian Hornet Watch’ app which is managed, on our behalf, by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH). The app allows people to send a picture and location of the sighting. This is essential for determining whether it is a credible sighting. In addition, the app is continually being developed with more pictures added recently of other insects with similar appearances, which helps tackle misidentification. Although the app is the preferred method of reporting, people can also report sightings using the UKCEH webpage and via email.

Additionally, to enable accurate identification of Asian hornets we have published information on how to spot the insect on BeeBase – the website run by the National Bee Unit, part of the Animal and Plant Health Agency. The information is constantly being updated and incorporated into training material which is shared with beekeepers and members of the public.

Furthermore, the National Bee Unit regularly undertakes training events, publishes regular articles in hobbyist publications and features in academic journals, all of which are often used as opportunities to promote reporting of Asian hornet.

Defra works in collaboration with a range of stakeholders, with interests in bee health and invasive non-native species, to help raise awareness of the importance of reporting Asian hornet sightings. Last week, the National Bee Unit released communications as part of the British Beekeepers Association’s annual Asian Hornet Week, which aims to increase awareness of the threat posed by Asian hornet to honey bees and other pollinating insects, and to encourage reporting of suspected sightings.