Further sightings of Asian hornets in Northern Ireland

Further sightings of Asian hornets have been confirmed in Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) has said.

The agency said the sightings were in the Dundonald area of Belfast.

It follows the confirmation of the first sighting of an Asian Hornet in Northern Ireland last Friday in the same area.

The NIEA said this suggests the existence of a nest.

Agency officials are moving to employ ‘track and trace’ methods to establish the location of, and remove, any potential nest in the area, the NIEA said.

“The public is urged to be vigilant and report any suspect insects, ideally with a photograph, to DAERA via the Asian Hornet Watch app at https://www.brc.ac.uk/app/asian-hornet-watch or via the CEDaR invasive species online recording at http://www2.habitas.org.uk/records/ISI.

“Suspected nests should not be disturbed but reported immediately.”

The species is a highly-effective predator of insects including honeybees, wasps and other important pollinators.

Due to its aggressive nature and feeding habits, it could have a serious impact on native insect biodiversity.

Asian hornets have been found in Cobh and Cork in recent months.

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