Northern Ireland's Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) is urging the public to remain vigilant for Asian hornets, despite no new confirmed sightings this year.

The appeal for vigilance was issued following the completion of a two-month Asian hornet spring queen monitoring programme in the Dundonald area of Co. Down, just outside Belfast.

The Asian hornet is an invasive species that is not native to the island of Ireland, and originates from east Asia.

It is a highly effective predator of other insects, including honeybees, wasps and other pollinators, and could have a serious impact on native insect biodiversity and crop pollination.

A total of 34 traps were monitored and checked twice weekly between April and May as a precautionary measure, when queen hornets usually emerge prior to the building of secondary nests.

Initially, monitoring was planned over a three-month period, but the low temperatures and poor weather delayed the start.

Queen hornets will not come out of hibernation until there are consistent days of 12° or 13°.

Commenting on the monitoring programme and the need for continued vigilance, Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Andrew Muir said: "Although the monitoring did not detect any Asian hornets, there is always a risk that some may have evaded the monitoring exercise.

"For that reason, we would still urge the public to be vigilant and report any suspect sightings and please check out all the ID guides on our website and avoid killing or catching other valuable pollinators unnecessarily," Minister Muir added.

Asian hornet

The first confirmed sighting of an Asian hornet in Northern Ireland was confirmed by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) in October last year.

This was followed by the "safe and controlled removal" of an Asian hornet nest in the Dundonald area the same month.

The nest was found close to the location of the first reported sighting earlier that month.

These discovers were made after a series of sightings and nest removals in the Republic of Ireland earlier in 2025.

In September 2025, two Asian hornet nests were discovered and removed in Co. Cork.

Th first sighting of an Asian hornet in the Republic of Ireland occurred in August 2025, also in Co. Cork.