The nest was destroyed by staff from the Animal and Plant Health Agency
The Thanet Beekeepers Association is urging people to familiarise themselves with how Asian Hornets look and to report any sightings following the discovery of a nest in Broadstairs.
A Yellow Legged Hornet (YLH), also known as an Asian Hornet, was spotted on a banana plant in Fairfield Road, Broadstairs, by an isle beekeeper on Saturday 26th July.
Subsequently a nest was found in a bramble bush at Gladstone Road, Broadstairs by a member of the Thanet Asian Hornet team on the following Monday.
The nest was destroyed and taken away by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) on Wednesday 30th July.
Thanet Beekeepers Association (BKA), which is part of the British Beekeepers’ Association, is actively monitoring during August to try to prevent the spread of the hornets and stress that this is not just a beekeepers problem as they predate on all pollinators.
Members of the British Beekeepers’ Association are supporting Defra and the National Bee Unit in raising awareness of, and monitoring for, yellow-legged ‘Asian’ hornets.
Yellow-legged hornets are voracious predators that have the capacity to cause a huge amount of damage to our native pollinators, and in turn our wider ecology.
Laurence Coley, from Thanet BKA, said: “This invasive species is now widespread in Europe and numbers have been rising here in the UK too in recent years, so we’re working hard to try and prevent their establishment and would encourage the public to help us in our efforts.
“We would urge people to familiarise themselves with the markings of the yellow-legged hornet – a predominantly dark body with a single orange band around the abdomen, and yellow-tipped legs – and report any suspected sightings via the official Asian Hornet Watch app.”
The app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.
Photos and videos can be emailed to: [email protected]. Please ensure you include full location and contact details as well as a photo.