The BBKA would like to ask the public to learn a little about the Asian hornet and how to identify it, and then report it. This invasive insect is a non-native species that can devastate the populations of all pollinators, not just honeybees.

Information about identifying Asian hornets and other insects

See our Asian hornet identification page 


Asian Hornet Lifecycle page


Team page 


How to ID an European hornet 

Test yourself, just for fun! 

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 BBKA ASIAN HORNET WEEK QUIZ

1. What is size (length) of an Asian Hornet worker in the Summer?
2. What do Asian Hornets normally use to construct their nests?
3. How do Asian Honey bees (Apis Cerana) avoid capture by Asian Hornets ?
4. The average life span of an Asian Hornet worker ?
5. Where was the first Asian Hornet nest found in the UK?
6. What is the food of an Asian Hornet in the Autumn?
7. Where is the entrance in an Asian Hornet Secondary nest?
8. What is the average length of an Asian Hornet Queen ?
9. How do Asian Hornets feed honey bees to their young larva?
10. How long does it normally take an Asian Hornet egg to hatch into a larva ?
11. What is the material Asian Hornet pupae use to construct their cocoon?
12. When an Asian Hornet Pupates how long does it take to reach the adult stage?
13. How far from the nest do Asian Hornet queens usually fly to hibernate?
14. How do Asian Hornets locate Honey bee colonies?
15. Do Asian Hornets usually fly at night?
16. How can you tell an Asian Hornet drone from a worker?
17. How fast does an Asian Hornet worker usually fly when foraging?
18. Approximately what distance can a new mated queen fly in the Spring to build her nest?
19. In what months are you most likely to see new queens dispersing from their nest?
20. >Why do Asian Hornets feed young larva with protein (honey bee thorax)?

 

 Answers below these photos of Asian hornets

 

 

Answers:

1. Approximately 2 -2.5cms the workers in Spring are much smaller
2. Wood
3. Enter and exit nest at speed, Apis MM have not yet learnt this
4. 55 days
5. Tetbury
6. Sweet fruits, nectar, honey (adults do not eat meat they feed it to the larvae and are rewarded by a sweet excretion from larvae)
7. At the base
8. 3cm
9. remove head and abdomen, chew the thorax and feed to their larva.
10. 2 -3 days
11. Silk, they spin their cocoon in the cell
12. 12 days
13. Up to 1km 
14. Smell, they have a very well-developed sense of smell
15. No
16. Two yellow spots on ventricle (underneath) side of last segment of abdomen
17. Approximately 7mph (measured in Jersey as 3.2 metres per sec)
18. Up to 40km
19. Sept/Oct
20. The larva reward them, producing a drop of sweet liquid for the adults

 

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How to report an Asian hornet

If you suspect you have seen an Asian hornet you should report this using the ‘Asian Hornet Watch’ app:

• Asian Hornet Watch app for iPhone
• Asian Hornet Watch app for android