This update from Peter Davies, Operational Delivery Lead at the National Bee Unit, was hosted by the British Beekeepers Association on Tuesday 2nd September 2025. A recording of the session can be found here.
The following are the key points:
- Eradication phase continues.
- 343 credible sightings (out of 13,000 reports)
- 87 nests confirmed (majority destroyed, rest in progress)
- Trial of micro-transmitters fitted to hornets – nests found in less than an hour
- Beekeeping association Asian Hornet Teams (AHTs) provide useful support
- We need to continue vigilance, awareness, identification, reporting.
Monitoring
- NBU advice is that, in areas that are not at high or medium risk of YLH presence (like Beds), do not use kill traps as they have big impact on by-catch.
- Preferably, use open monitoring i.e wick stations.
- Selective traps that have no/limited by-catch (e.g. Gard’Apis or VespaCatch with 6.5mm escape holes) are OK if properly used and monitored.
- Monitoring need varies with season and local risk level (proximity to any previous years’ nests); so selective and killing traps are ideally to be used only near areas where there are confirmed sightings.
- NBU guidance on monitoring can be found here.
- More information on the YLH can be found here.