JERSEY is “losing the war” against Asian hornets, according to the senior scientific officer overseeing the fight against the invasive species – who has said “difficult decisions” will need to be made about how to control it.
Alastair Christie said that around 690 nests had been found so far in 2026, compared to 475 this time last year.
Asian hornets were first spotted in Jersey around a decade ago, having already spread throughout France and other parts of Europe.
Sightings have become more frequent than ever, with the current figures marking a notable rise from those of five years ago – when 63 nests were discovered in 2021.
“We are losing the war,” Mr Christie said. “We’ve now got to make some difficult decisions about where we go forwards with this. What degree of control do we want and how much do we want to pay for it?”
Mr Christie explained that there were “a variety of options”, including “continuing as we are and just doing the best we can”.
“We found 690 nests [so far this year] and the vast majority of those right now have been destroyed. If we had not destroyed any of them, then we would have a lot more hornets flying around.”
He praised the continued efforts of the dedicated volunteers helping to track Asian hornets in the Island, as well as members of the public reporting sightings.
“There are obviously a lot of nests out there because lots of people are reporting hornets in their gardens, far more than ever before,” Mr Christie added.
“The character of Jersey is changing because of Asian hornets.
“Not just Asian hornets – we’ve also got our native European hornet – and their numbers are going up as well.”
Sightings of Asian hornets and their nests can be reported via an interactive map available on the gov.je website, which notes that: “If your report is an emergency and there is an immediate risk of multiple stings, please call 01534 441633”.
