Authorities have treated a yellow‑legged Asian hornet sighting in Ripon as credible after a photo was sent through the Asian Hornet Watch app. The National Bee Unit has set traps and aims to capture a live hornet to trace and remove any nearby nest before it expands. These invasive hornets prey on pollinators—each nest can eat about 11 kg of insects per year and produce up to 200 queens—so the public is urged to report sightings via the app and not to intervene.
Credible Asian Hornet Sighting in Ripon Spurs Urgent Trap-and-Track Response
Photo Credit: iStock
A yellow‑legged Asian hornet sighting in Ripon, North Yorkshire, has been judged credible, prompting local authorities and the National Bee Unit (NBU) to step up efforts to locate and remove any nearby nest.
Experts reviewed a photograph submitted via the Asian Hornet Watch app and passed precise coordinates to the NBU. Traps have been deployed in the area while teams wait to capture a live specimen that could lead trained staff back to a nest.
What Officials Are Doing
The NBU's immediate priority is to secure a live hornet so specialists can track it to the nest before the colony expands. Trapping, targeted monitoring and follow-up searches are under way to prevent establishment of a local population.
Why This Matters
The yellow‑legged Asian hornet is a non‑native predator of honeybees and other pollinators. A single nest can consume roughly 11 kilograms (24 pounds) of insects per year and has the potential to produce up to 200 new queens, increasing the risk of further colonies if left unchecked.
“There are a few insects in the UK that can look similar to a yellow‑legged Asian hornet at a glance. The app lets experts see a photo and the exact location straight away, and that's what turns a sighting into something the NBU can actually act on,” said Richard Senior, Yellow‑legged Asian Hornet Coordinator for the Yorkshire Beekeepers' Association.
So far there have been 82 credible sightings across the UK with 21 nests located, mainly in Kent and Surrey. Yorkshire has previously encountered the species: a nest was destroyed in Langton (near Malton) in 2024, and sightings have been reported around Yarm.
Safety and Reporting
Officials urge residents, gardeners and beekeepers to keep their distance from any suspected hornet or nest and not to try to deal with it themselves. If a nest is disturbed, hornets can become highly aggressive and attack in numbers; anecdotal reports suggest they may even sting through a regular bee suit.
If you believe you have seen a yellow‑legged Asian hornet, submit a clear photograph and the location through the Asian Hornet Watch app so experts can verify the sighting and respond. Leave removal to trained, equipped and licensed teams.
Key facts: traps are in place in Ripon, the NBU hopes to capture a live specimen to trace any nest, and the public should report sightings via the app rather than intervening.
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