A dead nest belonging to a yellow-legged hornet has been found near Wrexham, making it the first confirmed discovery of the insect in Wales.<\/p>\n
The wasp, also known as the Asian hornet, is an invasive, non-native species and was first seen in France in 2004.<\/p>\n
Since then, there have been sightings of it in numerous countries across Europe as well as parts of the UK<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Welsh government has asked the National Bee Unit to take action in line with an existing Asian Hornet Contingency Plan<\/a>, while people are being asked to “become familiar” with what the insect looks like.<\/p>\n Asian hornets were first spotted in England in 2016 and action has been taken every year since to “find and destroy nests”, according to the Welsh government.<\/p>\n They pose a risk to honey bees and pollinating insects and people have been asked to report it if any are seen in Wales.<\/p>\n The Welsh government has advised people to use its identification guide<\/a> to distinguish an Asian hornet from similar-looking native insects.<\/p>\n A spokesperson said members of the public can “help stop this invasive insect from spreading” by learning what the wasp looks like.<\/p>\n Asian hornets are active from February to November and are most likely to be seen from July onwards.<\/p>\n The are not generally aggressive, but care should be taken not to approach or disturb a nest.<\/p>\n Medical advice about hornet stings is available on the NHS website<\/a>.<\/p>\n