Asian hornet hunt leads to nest discovery

Beekeepers who feared a damaging new arrival of Asian hornets in the Greater Manchester area helped track down their nest after sightings sparked an urgent search.

The nest of the non-native invasive insects, which prey on honey bees and threatens biodiversity, was found in Oldham, after local keepers worked with government bee inspectors to trace them using GPS trackers and food traps.

The Asian hornets were first spotted three weeks ago in Oldham, prompting concerns the species may be spreading further north.

Beekeeper, Cath Charnock, said: "We weren't expecting to see any this soon in our area."

Charnock said two credible sightings were received within a short period, which prompted them to take action.

Fellow beekeeper Les Latham said the team used food traps to attract the insects before monitoring the direction and timing of their flights.

By repeating the process at different locations, they were able to build up a picture of where the nest was likely to be.

Government bee inspectors then joined the search, using GPS radio trackers and AI-assisted cameras to narrow down the location.

Latham said several search teams eventually converged on the same spot before inspectors used binoculars to identify the nest in a tree.

A single nest could consume about 15kg (two stone) of insects in one season, affecting not only honeybees but also hoverflies, moths, spiders, wasps and other species, she said.

Charnock urged the public to report suspected sightings using the Asian Hornet Watch app, calling on people to "see it, snap it and app it".

Asian hornets pose no greater threat to humans than native hornets, and if you get stung by one, the advice is to immediately wash the area with cold water and soap, then apply ice to stop the venom spreading further.

But the main prey of the Asian hornet is honeybees, with one insect killing up to 50 bees a day, devastating entire colonies.

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