Invasive Asian hornets pose a threat to native pollinators (Image: Getty)
are feasting on more than 1,400 species of prey including honey bees, wasps, flies, beetles and butterflies, a study reveals. The invasive species was first detected in the UK in 2016 and, although not yet established here, could pose a threat to native pollinators.
Researchers at the University of Exeter analysed samples collected from the UK, , and Jersey. They examined the guts of more than 1,500 Asian hornet larvae which eat food provided by adult insects. Study leader Siffreya Pedersen said: “Asian hornets are known to prey on honey bees, but until now the full range of their diet hasn’t been tested. The diet varied strongly over the seasons and between regions, showing that they are highly flexible predators.
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“Most insect populations are in decline due to factors such as habitat destruction and chemical . The expanding area inhabited by Asian hornets poses an extra threat.”
The researchers identified 1,449 “operational taxonomic units” in the hornet larvae guts. Around half could be identified as a specific species.
Those identified included 43 invertebrates known to visit flowers, including Europe’s three main crop pollinators: the European honey bee, the buff-tailed bumblebee and the red-tailed bumblebee.
Environmental science expert Ms Pedersen said: “Insects play vital roles in enabling ecosystems to function – including pollination, decomposition and pest control.”
Asian hornets pose no greater risk to human health than native wasps and hornets. But the UK Health Security Agency has warned that they are a threat to honey bees and insect pollinators and urged the public to report any sightings.
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The insects have a very dark body, wide orange stripe on the fourth abdomen section and yellow leg ends.
A record number of Asian hornets were found in the UK in 2023, when the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit destroyed 72 nests in 56 locations.
Dr Peter Kennedy, from Exeter’s Environment and Sustainability Institute, added: “Our study provides important additional evidence of the threat posed by Asian hornets as they spread across Europe.”
The research was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the British Beekeepers Association.
The findings were published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.