BeeBase News

• Yellow-legged hornet 2026 rolling update

  Please report sightings of Yellow-legged hornets (YLH), also known as Asian hornets, on this online form or download the free Asian hornet Watch app for Apple devices or android devices.

  As of 26/06/2026:

  To view the location of destroyed nests, please visit the map page and choose the Asian Hornet map layer.

  Yellow-legged hornet location information in England and Wales from January 2026 to June 2026

   

  #	Grid Ref:	Location	County	Type	Date initial sighting	Reported by	Links to images / Notes
  1	SE60	Doncaster	South Yorkshire	Sighting	26/02/2026	Member of the public	No sample
  2	TL18	Sawtry	Cambridgeshire	Sighting	13/03/2026	Member of the public
  3	TR35	Nonington	Kent	Sighting	08/04/2026	Beekeeper	Link to image
  4	TR24	Densole	Kent	Sighting	08/04/2026	Member of the public	Found in outbuilding Link to image
  5	TQ35	Oxted	Surrey	Sighting	09/04/2026	Member of the public	Alive in house
  6	TR15	Kingston	Kent	Sighting	11/04/2026	Member of the public	Link to image
  7	TR25	Nonington	Kent	Sighting	11/04/2026	Beekeeper	Caught in trap Link to image
  8	TR35	Sandwich	Kent	Sighting	10//04/2026	Member of the public
  9	SK36	Chesterfield	Derbyshire	Embryo nest	26/04/2026	Member of the public	Link to image Link to image
  10	SU31	Southampton	Hampshire	Sighting	27/04/2026	Member of the public	Flew from conservatory
  11	SK32	Repton	South Derbyshire	Sighting	27/04/2026	Member of the public	Insect intercepted
  12	SK52	Rushcliffe	Nottinghamshire	Sighting	27/04/2026	Member of the public	Insect intercepted
  13	SU41	Southampton	Hampshire	Sighting	27/04/2026	Member of the public	Flew away
  14	TQ93	Leigh Green	Kent	Sighting	30/04/2026	Member of the public	Insect intercepted in house
  15	TR24	Coldred	Kent	Sighting	01/5/2026	Member of the public	Insect intercepted in shed
  16	TR24	Densole	Kent	Sighting	03/5/2026	Member of the public	Flew into garage
  17	TR23	Folkestone	Kent	Sighting	04/05/2026	Member of the public
  18	SY99	Lytchett Minster and Upton	Dorset	Sighting	10/05/2026	Member of the public	Insect intercepted in house
  19	TQ84	Maidstone	Kent	Sighting	17/05/2026	Member of the public	Insect intercepted in conservatory
  20	SU41	Shirley, Southampton	Hampshire	Sighting	22/05/2026	Member of the public
  21	TR02	New Romney	Kent	Sighting	22/05/2026	Member of the public
  22	TQ94	Charing, Ashford	Kent	Sighting	24/05/2026	Member of the public
  23	TQ82	Peasmarsh	East Sussex	Sighting	27/05/2026	Member of the public	Intercepted in house
  24	TQ81	Broadland Row	East Sussex	Sighting	27/05/2026	Beekeeper	Caught in trap
  25	TQ64	Tunbridge Wells	Kent	Nest	29/05/2026	Member of the public
  26	TR03	Ashford	Kent	Sighting	31/05/2026	Member of the public
  27	TQ30	Brighton & Hove	East Sussex	Sighting	01/06/2026	Member of the public
  28	TR23	Folkestone	Kent	Sighting	08/06/2026	Beekeeper
  29	TQ72	Robertsbridge	East Sussex	Sighting	09/06/2026	Member of the public
  30	TQ94	Pluckley	Kent	Sighting	08/06/2026	Beekeeper
  31	TR34	Whitfield, Dover	Kent	Nest	13/06/2026	Member of the public
  32	SU31	Southamton	Hampshire	Sighting/Nest	19/06/2026	Member of the public	Multiple hornets in an industrial unit
  33	SU40	Dibden Purlie	Hampshire	Primary nest	23/06/2026	Member of the public	Nest in bird box
  34	TQ52	Heathfield	East Sussex	Nest	24/06/2026	Member of the public	Nest in bird box

   

• Husbandry Survey 2026

  A randomised sample of beekeepers registered on BeeBase will shortly be contacted via email and asked to complete a short survey.

  Beekeepers are selected at random and reflect the overall proportion of hobbyist and commercial beekeepers registered on BeeBase in England and Wales. Only beekeepers who are subscribed to email updates and listed as ‘current’ will be contacted. Please note: due to the lead time required to deploy the survey, beekeepers who have amended their status in the previous month may still be contacted.

  Monitoring husbandry practices and colony losses provides important information on the health of our honeybee population. Answers will be of great value monitoring UK beekeeping practices and to help target beekeeper training. Answers provided may also be used in future research.

  Summaries and reports of previous year’s results can be found here: NBU surveys » APHA - National Bee Unit - BeeBase

• Update on small hive beetle in Italy

  On the 8th June 2026, Aethina tumida (small hive beetle) was confirmed in an apiary in the province of Latina, Lazio region, central Italy. This represents a new detection outside the previously affected areas of southern Italy.

  Surveillance data show one positive apiary in Latina, and a positive sentinel apiary reported in Sicily. Ongoing monitoring continues in affected regions.

  The new location is more than 400 km from the original established area of infestation in Calabria, as shown in this map from the Italian authorities. This indicates a significant geographical jump and suggests long-distance movement rather than natural spread.

  Italian authorities have initiated control measures in line with EU requirements, including enhanced surveillance in the surrounding area and restrictions on the movement of bees and beekeeping equipment.

  The UK has suspended the import of bees, apiculture products and used beekeeping equipment into Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) from the regions of Lazio, in addition to those measures already in place for Sicily and Calabria. These special measures apply to Lazio, Italy from 13 June 2026 and will continue to apply until they are revoked or amended: for further details, please see the GOV.UK guidance.

  Beekeepers are reminded of the importance of maintaining good biosecurity and remaining vigilant for signs of small hive beetle, particularly when sourcing bees or equipment. Further information about SHB is available on BeeBase.

• Expression of Interest: BHAF Science Advisor

  This is an unpaid, voluntary position that supports the work of the Bee Health AdvisoryForum and the delivery of the Healthy Bees Plan 2030 (HBP 2030) in England and Wales HBP2030_English_language_version.pdf

  Healthy honey bees are essential to agriculture, food production and wider ecosystem health. Managed honey bees support crop yield and quality, contribute to the rural economy, and provide social and wellbeing benefits for thousands of beekeepers.

  There is now an opportunity for a motivated and experienced scientist to join the Bee Health Advisory Forum (BHAF) as a Science Advisor. The BHAF brings together Government officials, beekeeping organisations, sector representatives and researchers to work in partnership on honey bee health. The BHAF also supports delivery of the HBP 2030’s implementation plan HBP2030_Implementation_2025_2027_eng.pdf

  The forum meets quarterly with an additional annual science meeting. Meetings will primarily take place on Microsoft Teams, with a single in‑person meeting held annually.

  The HBP 2030 focuses on achieving four key outcomes, one of which is ‘sound science and evidence should underpin the actions taken to support bee health’. This outcome aligns with the following BHAF Science Statement priority areas.

  Scientific Priorities

  • Emerging and Changing Risks – understanding evolving pests, diseases, pathways of spread, and environmental impacts.

  • Surveillance, Diagnostics and Biology – improving detection tools and understanding pest and disease biology.

  • Sustainable Pest and Disease Management – supporting evidence on management approaches, epidemiology, treatment performance and husbandry practices.

  BHAF also works to improve education, support behaviour change that improves bee health, share knowledge, and build research capacity.

  Role of the Science Advisor

  • Regular attendance at BHAF meetings (mostly virtual).

  • Maintain awareness of relevant scientific developments in line with the BHAF Science Statement.

  • Provide independent scientific challenge and insight.

  • Support science actions within the HBP 2030 Implementation Plan.

  • Develop the agenda and lead the annual BHAF science meeting.

  • Encourage publication of research findings in beekeeping journals.

  • Support science-themed communications, including World Bee Day.

  Information Required:

  • Name

  • Email address

  • Qualifications

  • Name and address of organisation

  • Confirmation of availability for five meetings per year

  • One page (maximum of 350 words) which; (i) summarises your scientific expertise and how this aligns with the BHAF research priorities; (ii) describes your experience in communicating science to a wide range of stakeholders.

  Applications will be reviewed against three defined criteria: the applicant’s scientific expertise in relevant areas, their ability to communicate scientific information clearly to a broad range of stakeholders, and their commitment and availability to undertake the voluntary role. Each criterion is considered using a 1–5 assessment scale, with a maximum overall assessment of 15.  All applicants will be informed of the outcome in writing.

  Please send applications to BHAF@apha.gov.uk by the end of Friday 10th July 2026.

• Support for Weekend Events

  APHA's National Bee Unit recognise the important role that weekend events play in supporting training, engagement, and education across our primarily hobbyist sector and we are committed to working constructively with partners and stakeholders to maximise the value and impact of these opportunities wherever possible. However, our organisation operates within a workforce model designed to deliver core services across a standard working week. Like many public sector bodies, we must balance finite resources against a wide range of statutory responsibilities and operational priorities. This inevitably limits our capacity to routinely support out-of-hours and weekend activity at scale.

  Where we are able to contribute to weekend events, this is considered carefully on a case-by-case basis, taking into account operational pressures, value for money, and the potential benefits to our strategic objectives. In many instances, our resources must remain focused on critical front-line services and essential functions.

  We fully recognise that this can be disappointing to organisers and stakeholders but remain committed to working collaboratively to explore alternative ways of supporting engagement that are sustainable and effective including strengthening our focus on provision of high-quality training support materials and digital resources. These approaches can often deliver broader and longer-lasting impact than individual event attendance alone.