Overview

• The insect was captured on 10 October in Dundonald by a member of the public and its identity was confirmed by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.
• NIEA has deployed specialist equipment with live traps and visual surveys to establish whether the find is a single hornet or linked to a nest, with nest removal to follow if more are detected.
• Environment Minister Andrew Muir cautioned that the species threatens biosecurity, local ecology and pollinators such as honeybees and hoverflies.
• Authorities urge the public to report suspected sightings with photographs via the Asian Hornet Watch app or CEDaR online recording and to avoid disturbing any suspected nests.
• The response draws on recent experience from Cork and Cobh and increasing records in southern England, with NIEA working with the National Biodiversity Data Centre under the Shared Island initiative and using Northern Ireland’s 2020 rapid response plan.