Asian Hornet in the UK

The National Bee Unit has notified that the Asian Hornet has been found in the UK. The nest was discovered in the Tetbury area of Gloucestershire. The nest has now been destroyed.

The Asian Hornet is said to attack honey bee colonies. In any case, non native species can cause severe disruption to the local ecology.

There is also a general press release about this on the Gov.UK website.

Non native species, habitat loss and other factors are cited as causes for the Yellow Faced Bee from Hawaii being listed as endangered. Several species of Hawaiian plants depend on the bees for pollination and may also become extinct if the bees are lost.