A Farming in Protected Landscapes project is building a coordinated community response to the growing threat of invasive Asian Hornets across the Kent Downs National Landscape.

The Kent Downs National Landscape team is tackling the growing threat of invasive Asian Hornets through its Protect Our Pollinators – Making Trapping Happen project, funded through the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme. Asian Hornets are serious predators of bees, butterflies and other native beneficial insects, posing a risk to biodiversity, farming and food production across the landscape and beyond. Without early action, its impact on wildlife, farming and food production could be severe. 

The threat from Asian Hornets

The scale of the threat posed by Asian Hornets is striking. A single nest can kill more than 11kg of insects in a single season – tens of thousands of pollinators, equivalent in weight to a car tyre. In parts of Europe where the species is already established, honeybee populations have declined by up to 80%, with knock-on effects for wildflowers, crops and rural economies. Sightings in the UK tend to peak from late summer, when new females and future queens begin to emerge, making early detection in the months before this critical.

A landscape-wide trapping network

To help respond early, the team has created a coordinated trapping and monitoring network across the Kent Downs. So far, more than 500 selective traps have been distributed to farmers, landowners and volunteers. The traps use a specially formulated bait to target Asian Hornets specifically, while allowing native insects to escape unharmed.

At the heart of the network are ten Hornet Hubs, established at country parks, community venues and local businesses across the area. These hubs make it easy for people to collect free trap kits and play an active role in protecting their local environment. The involvement of the local community really maximises the impact of the project - spreading monitoring capacity as widely as possible across the landscape.

Real-time monitoring and community action

All traps are logged through a central system run by Asian Hornet Alert, using the AHA Catch App. This real-time data helps identify hotspots and track how hornet populations are moving – essential information for early nest detection and removal. Anyone can also contribute by reporting sightings through the Asian Hornet Watch App, photographing it from a safe distance and reporting it, even if they are not certain of the identification.

By combining practical action, community involvement and real-time monitoring, the project is strengthening the Kent Downs’ ability to respond to the threat to pollinators. The approach recognises that early detection depends on many pairs of eyes across a wide area – and that farmers, landowners and local residents are best placed to provide them. Together, these efforts are helping to safeguard pollinators and the farming and food production that depends on them for future generations.