In December 2025 Defra confirmed that the NBU will not be asked to carry out spring trapping for YLH in England in 2026. This decision was taken in response to the high number and geographic spread of later season nest finds during 2025.
At the BHAF meeting held on 5th March, a Fera-based PhD student, gave a presentation about the work she had done during her PhD on kinship analyses of YLH nests found and destroyed in England from 2016 to 2024. The results from these analyses suggested that there is a limited established population of YLH in England. It is likely that there will be further evidence of kinship relatedness from the analyses of nests destroyed in 2025 (report to be submitted shortly). Nevertheless, Defra remain committed to taking action against YLH and have asked the NBU to take action to find and destroy nests later in the 2026 season.
With these findings and the number of samples involved, it has been difficult for the laboratory to complete analyses of YLH to provide information in a timely manner for the field to adapt during the live response to YLH. As a result, Fera will not be commissioned to carry out genetic analyses of YLHs found in England in 2026.
In England, previously the NBU followed up credible spring sightings and then arranged to collect the sample. However, as these samples will not be analysed, whilst contact will still be made with the reporter, no sample recovery will be undertaken. Please ask your members and Yellow Legged Asian Hornet teams to continue to report sightings so that we will have records of where and how many hornets have been sighted to inform later season developments. A summary of these findings will still be reported on a weekly basis via BHAF and updated on BeeBase.
Welsh government have commissioned the NBU to carry out spring trapping in Wales and will follow the previously established process. The position with respect to genetic analyses of YLHs found in Wales will be confirmed separately.
Later in the season when nests are more likely to be present, Defra have asked the NBU to follow up credible sightings to find and destroy nests.
We are very grateful for the actions that you take and support you provide in dealing with YLH.
Defra Bee Health Policy Team