One of the country’s earliest yellow-legged Asian hornet nests has been found in Kent.

The British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) has confirmed a single hornet and embryo nest was discovered in Langley, near Maidstone, on Wednesday (April 16).

The charity said the small nest would have been created by a queen and would have survived the winter.

It is the first nest to be confirmed in the UK, however, there have already been a few recorded sightings of the invasive creature in the southeast of Kent.

According to the BBKA map, the hornets were seen close to Appledore near Ashford, Bridge near Canterbury, Deal, and Ramsgate in April and March.

Elsewhere in the country, sightings have been recorded around Southampton and Oswestry, Shropshire.

While the Asian hornet poses no greater risk to human health than native wasps and hornets, they do pose a huge risk to honey bees and insect pollinators.

One alone can kill between 60 to 90 honeybees per day, and dozens will “hawk” a hive at any one time, decimating the bees and weakening the hive until it cannot survive.

The insects have a distinctive appearance and can be identified by their very dark body, wide orange stripes on the fourth abdominal segment and yellow leg ends.

Native to Asia, their arrival in Europe was first recorded in France in 2004 when a hornet is thought to have arrived in a consignment of pottery from China.

In 2016, it was discovered in the UK for the very first time in Tetbury, Gloucestershire.

Genetic analysis in January 2023 found no evidence of an established population of Asian hornets, with those found most likely to be from the European population having arrived in cargo or possibly even blown across the Channel.

The BBKA is now encouraging everyone to report any sightings using the Asian Hornet Watch app.

However, it is important not to approach or disturb a nest, as although they are not generally aggressive towards people, they can be if they perceive a threat to their nest.