Asian Hornets
Background
Something we hoped would never occur but felt that it was probably inevitable, has happened: Asian Hornets, a.k.a. Yellow-Legged Hornets, have arrived in Ireland. With a number of workers caught in Cork, it appears there is an active nest there. Also a single hornet has been confirmed in Dublin.
We are trying to gather as much information as possible to help our members and all Irish beekeepers to address this new threat. We have a lot of information on trapping Asian Hornets.
We are trying to gather as much information as possible to help our members and all Irish beekeepers to address this new threat. We have a lot of information on trapping Asian Hornets.
Identification
The hornet has been renamed the Yellow Legged Hornet (YLH) to help people remember the yellow lower legs. The photo of the queen above shows the important details:
If you think you have seen an Asian Hornet, report it to Biodiversity Ireland's invasive species page. It's better to report something that turns out to be innocuous rather than miss the chance of reporting a real threat.
- Workers are around 25mm long, Queens are around 30mm
- The lower legs are coloured yellow
- The face is orange with large brown eyes
- The thorax is black and the abdomen is black with thin yellow borders, and a single yellow stripe.
If you think you have seen an Asian Hornet, report it to Biodiversity Ireland's invasive species page. It's better to report something that turns out to be innocuous rather than miss the chance of reporting a real threat.
History
In May 2021, a single specimen of the Asian Hornet was found in Dublin.
In July 2025, a photo taken in Cork was sent to Biodiversity Ireland that was confirmed to be an Asian Hornet. Subsequently, traps have captured 7 individuals as of mid-August 2025, indicating the presence of a nest. Also at this time, a confirmed photo of a hornet was taken in South Dublin.
We're awaiting any further news and will update this page as we hear.
In July 2025, a photo taken in Cork was sent to Biodiversity Ireland that was confirmed to be an Asian Hornet. Subsequently, traps have captured 7 individuals as of mid-August 2025, indicating the presence of a nest. Also at this time, a confirmed photo of a hornet was taken in South Dublin.
We're awaiting any further news and will update this page as we hear.
Further Information
Below are some sources of information that may be useful:
- You can find a lot of information about this hornet at asianhornets.ie.
- The UK National Bee Unit (NBU) has a lot of good information, and their rolling update for the UK is a frightening reminder of what could happen here.
- The Jersey Asian Hornet Group are on the front line of the fight against these hornets
- During COVID lockdown, Richard Noel kindly did a talk to FIBKA about Asian Hornets, and his YouTube channel has a number of videos worth watching (check out his short videos too)
- If you think you know about the Asian Hornet, take this quiz to test your knowledge.