Identifying Asian Hornet Vespa velutina, sometimes known as the 'Asian hornet' is an invasive non-native species from Asia. If you find one you MUST report it. It arrived in France in 2004 and has spread rapidly. As a highly effective predator of insects, including honey bees and other beneficial species, it can cause significant losses to bee colonies, other native species and potentially ecosystems It is expected that the places it is most likely to be found in numbers are in southern parts of England (it may be able to cross the channel from France) or in goods among which it could be accidentally imported (such as soil with imported pot plants, cut flowers, fruit and timber). Active between April and November (peak August/September). How to identify an Asian Hornet 1 Does it look very black? 2.Has it got a wide orange stripe on 4th segment of abdomen? 3.Do its legs look as if they have been dipped in yellow paint? National Bee Unit identification poster These resources can be ordered direct from the NBU office by contacting [email protected] - but to save time and money you can also download the files above and print them yourselves PLEASE DOWNLOAD THE ASIAN HORNET IDENTIFICATION APP HERE FOR FREE