The spread of the Asian hornet across Europe, 2004–2026

Timeline

Layers

First recorded 2004 · First recorded 2005 · First recorded 2006 · First recorded 2007 · First recorded 2008 · First recorded 2009 · First recorded 2010 · First recorded 2011 · First recorded 2012 · First recorded 2013 · First recorded 2014 · First recorded 2015 · First recorded 2016 · First recorded 2017 · First recorded 2018 · First recorded 2019 · First recorded 2020 · First recorded 2021 · First recorded 2022 · First recorded 2023 · First recorded 2024 · First recorded 2025 · First recorded 2026

Events

• 1 Jul 2004, 2004 · Arrival in Lot-et-Garonne: A single mated queen (genetics: one queen, four males) most likely arrived around 2004 in pottery imported from China near Tonneins. A resident near Tombebœuf noticed 'Chinese hornets' from summer 2004. Source: Villemant et al. 2006; Arca et al. 2015; Rojas-Nossa et al. 2026 (Eur. J. Entomol. 123: 2…
• 1 Nov 2005, Nov 2005 · First specimen identified, Nérac: Jean-Pierre Bouguet collected the first identified specimen in his garden in Nérac; the record was published by Haxaire, Bouguet & Tamisier (2006). By 2006 the hornet was in 13 départements. Source: Haxaire et al. 2006; EPPO Global Database; French Senate report 2019 (l18-475).
• 15 Aug 2010, Aug 2010 · Spain: Amaiur, Navarra: First Spanish record near Amaiur (Navarra), then in several places in Gipuzkoa. Within ten years it had become Spain's eighth most costly invasive species (management in 2020: US$5.3 million). Source: Castro & Pagola-Carte 2010 (Munibe); EPPO; Angulo et al. 2021.
• 10 Sep 2011, Sep 2011 · Portugal: Viana do Castelo: First Portuguese specimens at Torre, Viana do Castelo, on 10 September 2011. It then spread south at about 40 km a year through temperate western Portugal. Source: Grosso-Silva & Maia 2012 (Arquivos Entomolóxicos); Carvalho et al. 2020.
• 1 Jul 2012, 2012 · 56 French départements: Spreading at roughly 60 km a year (MNHN monitoring), helped by queens hitching rides on lorries, the hornet was in 56 départements by 2012 and in all of mainland France except Corsica a few years later. Source: French Senate report 2019 (l18-475); Robinet et al. 2017 (J. Appl. Ecol.).
• 19 Nov 2012, Nov 2012 · Italy: Loano, Liguria: University of Turin traps caught Italy's first specimen in Loano (Savona) on 19 November 2012; by 2013 it was established in western Liguria (Imperia). Source: Porporato et al.; Demichelis et al. 2014; Bertolino et al. 2016 (J. Appl. Entomol.).
• 15 Sep 2014, Sep 2014 · Germany: Waghäusel: First German record: workers photographed in a garden in Waghäusel near Karlsruhe; the first nest followed in November 2014 at Büchelberg (Rhineland-Palatinate). Source: Witt 2015 (Ampulex 7).
• 15 Oct 2015, Oct 2015 · Mallorca: Sóller: Found in the Serra de Tramuntana in October 2015; 30 nests destroyed by 2017 and the island declared free in 2020. New nests in 2021 and, from 2024, in the southwest show repeated introductions. Source: Leza et al. 2021; Herrera et al. 2024; Rojas-Nossa et al. 2026.
• 15 Aug 2016, Aug 2016 · Jersey: The hornet reached Jersey in August 2016. Nest finds rose from 63 (2021) to 174 (2022), 259 (2024) and 694 (2025). Source: Jersey Evening Post; Government of Jersey Asian hornet updates.
• 19 Sep 2016, Sep 2016 · Great Britain: Tetbury: First British nest, destroyed in Tetbury (Gloucestershire). Genetics point to human transport from France rather than flight across the Channel. Source: GOV.UK confirmed sightings list; Budge et al. 2017 (PLoS ONE 12: e0185172).
• 18 Nov 2016, Nov 2016 · Belgium: first nest, Brunehaut: After a single hornet in 2011, Belgium's first nest was found near Tournai in November 2016. Flanders' Vespa-Watch project has logged tens of thousands of sightings since. Source: Bruneau 2011; EPPO; INBO Vespa-Watch.
• 15 Apr 2017, Apr 2017 · Switzerland: Fregiécourt, Jura: A beekeeper caught a queen near his hives. Swiss nest finds: 11 (2022), 222 (2023), 785 (2024), 3,030 (2025). Source: SCNAT 2017; Cherix et al.; Seehausen et al. 2025–26.
• 15 Sep 2017, Sep 2017 · Netherlands: Dreischor, Zeeland: First Dutch nest on Schouwen-Duiveland. The population then moved north at about 58 km a year; by 2023 more than 500 nests a year and eradication was given up. Source: Smit et al. 2017; Zeegers & Buesink 2024.
• 1 Sep 2019, 2019 · Hamburg: a jump to the north: A hornet in Hamburg, hundreds of kilometres from the nearest population, was then the northernmost record in the world, almost certainly a hitchhiker. Source: Husemann et al. 2020 (Evolutionary Systematics 4).
• 15 Sep 2020, Sep 2020 · Luxembourg: Junglinster: 24 workers and four nests at Junglinster. By 2025 the hornet was widespread: 476 sightings and 220 nests destroyed that year. Source: Ries et al. 2021; Rojas-Nossa et al. 2026.
• 15 Apr 2021, Apr 2021 · Ireland: one hornet in Dublin: A single dying queen in a Dublin house, the only Irish record until 2025. Source: Dillane et al. 2022 (J. Hymenoptera Research 93).
• 1 Sep 2022, 2022 · Andalusia: a nest at Los Barrios: A nest destroyed in Cádiz province; later single finds near Huelva (2024) and Málaga (2025). The species is not considered established in southern Spain. Source: Ramos-Chernenko 2024; Robla et al. 2026.
• 10 Aug 2023, 2023 · England: the Kent surge: 56 confirmed sightings in 2023 (only 23 in 2016–22), most around Folkestone, Dover and Deal; seven nests destroyed in Folkestone on one day. Source: GOV.UK laboratory-confirmed sightings list (2016–2025).
• 15 Aug 2023, Aug 2023 · Hungary: Kimle: Hornets at apiaries in Kimle; the nest was radio-tracked and destroyed. No further Hungarian records in 2024–25. Source: Márta & Vas 2023; Kolics et al. 2025.
• 1 Sep 2023, 2023 · Berlin: Isolated records in Berlin and the north. In spring 2025 Germany reclassified the hornet as established and dropped the duty to destroy every nest. Source: Rojas-Nossa et al. 2026; Bienenkunde 2026.
• 5 Oct 2023, Oct 2023 · Czechia: Plzeň: A photo by a member of the public led to a nest in northern Plzeň, destroyed. In 2024 five queens were found on a lorry from France. Source: Walter et al. 2024 (BioInvasions Records 13).
• 9 Apr 2024, Apr 2024 · Austria: one queen in Salzburg: A single queen collected in Salzburg; no other Austrian record until two nests at Lustenau (Vorarlberg) in June 2026. Source: Schorkopf et al. 2024 (Entomologica Austriaca 32); AGES.
• 29 Aug 2024, Aug 2024 · Corsica: Bastelicaccia: Hornets at an apiary near Ajaccio, radio-tracked to a nest; a second nest in Ajaccio in July 2025. Source: Rojas-Nossa et al. 2026.
• 15 Sep 2024, 2024 · Lecce, far south of Italy: A hornet photographed in Lecce; a nest followed at Sternatia, 20 km away, on 31 December 2025. Source: Stop Vespa Velutina 2025; Rojas-Nossa et al. 2026.
• 28 Sep 2024, Sep 2024 · Slovakia: Palárikovo: Hornets on fallen apples; the nest was found with a thermal drone and destroyed. The easternmost European record so far. Source: Purkart et al. 2025 (Biologia 80).
• 23 Jul 2025, Jul 2025 · Sardinia: Ilbono: A beekeeper reported a hornet hawking bees; the nest was found on 4 August in neighbouring Lanusei. Source: Stop Vespa Velutina 2025; Rojas-Nossa et al. 2026.
• 1 Aug 2025, 2025 · Algarve: a nest at Lagos: The dry south of Portugal was thought hornet-free until 2025, when hornets and a nest turned up near Lagos. Source: STOPvespa 2025; Rojas-Nossa et al. 2026.
• 27 Aug 2025, Aug 2025 · Ireland: first nests, Cork: 36 workers sighted around Cork from 31 July; two nests (Cork city and Cobh) were destroyed. Neither had produced new queens. Source: gov.ie press release; Invasives.ie nest analysis 2026.
• 3 Sep 2025, Sep 2025 · England: Runcorn, Cheshire: England in 2025: 544 credible sightings and 161 nests destroyed (270 since 2016), mostly in Kent and East Sussex, with outliers as far north as Runcorn and North Yorkshire. Source: GOV.UK confirmed sightings list; Rojas-Nossa et al. 2026.
• 4 Sep 2025, Sep 2025 · Denmark: Kertinge, Funen: Denmark's first: a single hornet that landed in a glass of beer. Source: Rojas-Nossa et al. 2026.
• 21 Sep 2025, Sep 2025 · Isles of Scilly: Tresco: A foraging hornet on Tresco, 40 km off Land's End; its nest was found and destroyed. Source: Tresco Island 2025; GOV.UK.
• 10 Oct 2025, Oct 2025 · Northern Ireland: east Belfast: A resident caught a hornet; a nest nearby was found and destroyed. Source: Invasive Species Northern Ireland 2025; Rojas-Nossa et al. 2026.
• 20 Jun 2026, Jun 2026 · Austria: nests at Lustenau: Two primary nests found in Lustenau, Vorarlberg, next to the Swiss Rhine valley population. Source: AGES; Apimondia 2026.