Basketball-sized Asian hornet nest in Essex back garden taken for government lab tests

Insects are known to be predator for honeybees, reports Lamiat Sabin

Asian hornet next the size of an ‘elongated basketball’ found in a back garden in Rayleigh, Essex (Defra)

A basketball-sized Asian hornet nest has been removed from a back garden in Essex for tests.

After a week-long search, government inspectors found the nest six metres up a tree in the town of Rayleigh.

The inspectors, from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), then took the nest to a lab for examination.

It was found in the back garden belonging to David Holborn, who was told it was likely to have been there for two months.

Inspectors attended the property on Thursday wearing “jeans and jumpers” but returned in safety suits the next day to destroy the 50cm-long nest with an insecticide spray, he said.

On Saturday, it was taken to the Fera Science centre in York, a laboratory managed by Capita and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Scientists will try to work out where the insects came from and whether Asian hornet queens have already left the nest.

Mr Holborn told BBC Essex: “It was the size of an elongated basketball.

“It’s quite scary to think it’s been in our garden for probably two months, but there’s been no harm to us.

“They’ve been keeping themselves to themselves.”

The APHA inspectors will continue to monitor the area and lay small plastic traps for the insects.

Asian hornets, first sighted in Britain in 2016 in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, pose no greater risk to human health than native wasps and hornets.

However, they are known to raid honeybee nests and eat them.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) says on its website: “The concern around the Asian hornet is that it is a significant predator of bees.

“In France, it has consumed large numbers of bees, including the well-known European honey bee and many lesser-known solitary and colonial bee species.

“Nature conservation organisations, including the RSPB, are concerned about the impacts of Asian hornets on bees, as these pollinating species are an essential component of well-functioning ecosystems.”

Last week, Defra warned beekeepers to be vigilant after three of the insects were spotted in Rayleigh.

Nicola Spence, Defra’s chief plant and bee health officer, said: “By ensuring we are alerted to possible sightings as early as possible, we can take swift and effective action to stamp out the threat posed by Asian hornets.

“That’s why we are working at speed to locate and investigate any nests in the area following this confirmed sighting.

“While the Asian hornet poses no greater risk to human health than other wasps or hornets, we recognise the damage they can cause to honey bee colonies and other beneficial insects.

“Please continue to look out for any Asian hornets and if you think you’ve spotted one, report your sighting through the Asian hornet app or online.”

Asian hornets were first spotted in the British Isles in 2016, and record numbers have been found on the Channel island of Jersey this year.