On Wednesday, 11^th February 2026, the British-Irish Council Invasive Species Work Sector held a webinar on ‘Combatting the Threat of Asian Hornets Across These Islands’.  The webinar was chaired by Niall Moore, Head of the GB Non-native Species Secretariat and Chair of the Invasive Species Work Sector. The webinar was attended by 300 people from across these islands and further afield, including Belgium and New Zealand.

The webinar featured four fascinating presentations exploring some of the policies and interventions being used to prevent the spread of Asian hornets across several of the BIC’s administrations.

The first presentation was given by Dr Peter Kennedy of the University of Exeter. Peter spoke about the lessons learned in the 20 years since the arrival of Yellow-legged Asian hornets in Europe. He explained how following their arrival in France in 2005 and that it was not until 2006 suspicions over its potential invasive nature began to emerge. Dr Kennedy shared what had been learned about their potential impact and how technology can assist with efforts to control the species.

The second presentation was from Chris Isaacs who spoke about Asian Hornet’s colonisation of the Channel Islands, including the numbers of nests and queens, as well of his in-depth analysis of their nest development and behaviour.

The third presentation was given by Nigel Semmence of the UK’s National Bee Unit, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), who focused on ‘Advancing the Yellow-Legged Hornet Eradication Response in England: Key Improvements and Efficiencies’. Nigel highlighted particular innovations that have improved nest detection, rapid response, and resource allocation. He also explored lessons learned from recent operations, opportunities for further optimisation, and how technological enhancements are contributing to long-term resilience.

Concluding the Webinar was John Kelly of Ireland’s National Biodiversity Data Centre. John spoke of the rapid response to multiple incursions of Asian hornet (Vespa velutina), including confirmed nests in both Cork and Cobh. He explained that an ‘on-the-ground’ taskforce was quickly formed to coordinate and lead the response, resulting in the successful location and destruction of all known nests before new queens could emerge. He confirmed that the nests and associated captures are now the subject of genetic analysis.

A recording of the webinar can be accessed below or via the following link; https://vimeo.com/1164385193/e39f7f74bb?share=copy