THE DISCOVERY of an Asian hornet (Vespa Velutina) in Northumberland has increased concern the insect could decimate the bee population.

The Asian hornet is identifiable by distinctive yellow ends to its legs, a wide orange stripe on the fourth section of its otherwise black abdomen and its body which is darker compared to other pollinators.

It was found inside a cauliflower produced in France, where they have dealt with Asian hornets since approximately 2004.

Ian Campbell, former chair of Newcastle and District Beekeepers Association, is now social media manager of the British Beekeepers Association.

He explained the alien species spread extensively throughout parts of Europe and some areas saw the bee population decimated by up to 80 per cent.

"It's really bad in the Channel Islands and has been since about 2016. In some parts of France and northern Spain, the loss of honeybees is quite devastating.

"They are averaging 40 per cent and can go as high as 80 per cent. That's how many colonies are being lost per year," he said.

He added bees are fairly good at regenerating and swarms can be managed to build colonies back up.

The carnivorous Asian hornets feed off many pollinators and even carrion.

"They are a high-risk species, they exhibit large colonies, 6,000 is an average but they can be bigger. If those colonies are disturbed, they are highly aggressive and that can cause dangers to human health." 

On average, each nest produces at least 300 queens, although not all survive.

The National Bee Unit, in conjunction with other organisations, set up an alert system which works through the Asian Hornet Watch smartphone app.

"It's important the public understands what this species looks like. European hornets aren't dissimilar, but they're not a problem. It's this one specific non-native species we're really worried about."

The first Asian hornet was found in the UK in 2016. Until now, no one thought they had become established. 

"France had a surge last year where there was a huge expansion in the population, and we're really worried we're going to get the back end of that this year.   

"We're worried it's going to stop being a small issue, and it's going to become very real, very quickly."