Asian hornet likely to have become established in UK, say experts

The Asian hornet. The vast majority of the sightings have been in Kent. Photograph: Guillaume Souvant/AFP/Getty Images

It is likely the Asian hornet has become established in the UK, conservationists fear, as a record number of nests have been found.

There has been a sharp rise in sightings of the invasive species in the UK this year; the previous two years only had two sightings each, whereas there have been 22 confirmed so far in 2023. In total there have been 45 sightings since 2016.