Asian Hornet UK Sightings Map


The Asian Hornet (Vespa velutina nigrithorax) that with just one sting can be enough to kill someone allergic to their venom. The Asian Hornets that can ‘kill with a single sting’ was firsts introduced to Europe via France in 2004, it has since spread rapidly. The first confirmed sighting in the UK occurred in 2016 in Gloucestershire with the second confirmed sighting occurring in 2017 in North Devon. Since the first sighting in 2016, the potential “Killer” Asian Hornet has and is rapidly spreading throughout the UK. At around 20mm to 30mm in length and with a sting that can kill a human, this invasive Hornet poses a significant danger to the general public and experts warn their environmental destruction could cost the UK up to £7.6million pounds every year.

To help inform and record the spread of the Asian Hornets we have created the first interactive map that shows all confirmed sightings of this killer insect.

giant hornet sighting info The Asian Hornet map in an interactive map, by zooming in on any given area more information on the sighting will be revealed. If a sighting of just one or more individual hornets is confirmed then the surrounding area will be identified by a light red 1-kilometre circle. By clicking on the hornet icon the details of the sighting will then be shown.

If a sighting of a hornet’s nest is confirmed then the surrounding area will be identified by a light red 5-kilometre circle. By clicking on the hornet icon the details of the sighting will then be shown.

Asian Hornets can be extremely dangerous and it’s very important that we all do our best to identify any that are in the UK. It’s only with accurate and timely information that experts can identify, record and then irradicate them.

We need to keep collecting the data, we need your help!

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If you think you have located a Asian Hornet please report the location using the below form. We will pass on the details to the GB Non-Native Species Secretariat system so an expert can verify the sighting. Once the sighting is verified by an expert the data will be added to the official Government records so that the data can be made available to support research and decision-making at local and national levels.

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  • liam mayland said...

    newcastle under lyme st5 postcode – one was in the office yesterday and was killed!!!!

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  • Fairy Herb said...

    Huge hornet spotted 3 times in South bucks in may/june. Go away!!!

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  • Mark said...

    Work in a hotel restaurant in Lyme Regis. This hornet was HUGE. Got stuck behind one the windows. S guest spotted it. Between us we managed to coax it out eventually. Was quite scary for a bit.

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  • Chris Dyer said...

    I read in the Independent you’re concerned re Asian hornets killing honey bees. Are you also concerned by U.K. farmers now free of eu legislation using insecticides banned by the eu because they kill bees? Seems not.

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  • Anthony Simmons said...

    Could we have some comparison photos please? The most common wasps and hornets plus the Asian Hornet.

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  • suzanne keith said...

    Just had one fly into my home office it was huge……….Hubby has seen 2 recently as well in Saltash Cornwall

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  • Anne Wood said...

    As Anthony Simmons wrote, more comparisons please!

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  • Matthew Smith said...

    We do not have an population of Asian Hornets in the UK – your map is misleading as every Asian Hornet nest discovered in the UK so far has been eliminated. Only 1 sighting of this species was made in the UK last year. If you wish to report Asian Hornets please use the Asian Hornet Watch App as this sends the data straight to the people who verify the records. Records will only be accepted if you have a photo of the insect.

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  • Simon Johnson said...

    One in the yard of my work place today. Killed it as it was harassing me. I couldn’t believe the size.

    Clacton on sea.
    Essex

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  • Vicky said...

    Saw one by the visitor centre in Beacon Fell country park in Lancashire. It was huge!

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  • Ryan said...

    One in garden earlier

    Gorebridge Midlothian
    Outskirts of Edinburgh

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  • Jonathan Wood said...

    Marbury campsite Cheshire. 3 of these hornets were in the toilets. 1 dead, one looked as though it was dying and the other was on the wall next to the door. I have a photo but can’t post it here 🤷‍♂️

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  • John Walker said...

    I thought I saw one in our garden, we get UK hornets regularly. I wouldn’t say this Asian type was particularly massive in fact slightly smaller but definitely much darker in its upper part.

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  • Wendy said...

    Had 4 in the last 2 days. Reported on the app and didn’t keep them around long enough to get a photo. Used a fly spray which subdued them enough to get it in a glass and put out the window.
    So quick!

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  • Patricia Fryer said...

    Really difficult to inform ? Official site.

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