The speed of its range increase across the continent has been quite staggering, yet is similar to other invasive invertebrates that have reached the UK in recent years, such as both the Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) and the Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner (Cameraria ohridella).

First European and UK records

Following its introduction into northern Italy in 1999, Leptoglossus occidentalis spread northwards and reached Switzerland in 2002, followed by Spain and Slovenia in 2003.

A specimen found indoors at a school in Weymouth, Dorset in 2007, was the UK's first known record. There were further records following a large influx into the UK during the latter part of 2008, including a number of inland records - the most northerly being at Kendal in Cumbria (Petley-Jones, R.). Nearer to Nottinghamshire, there were records from Quorn in Leicestershire (Gamble, P.) and Charlesworth in Derbyshire (recorder unknown) the same year.

Nottinghamshire records

Nottinghamshire's first record didn't come until a year later, when one was found on the bedroom curtains of David and Moira Worthington's house at Eakring on September 27th 2009. Moira was quick to email a picture to us for identification and thankfully had retained the specimen which we immediately went round to collect and photograph.

As of early October 2021, there have been 76 records of Leptoglossus occidentalis in Nottinghamshire, with most records coming from urban and suburban areas of the city. In fact, when looking at the distribution map on the NBN Atlas and our own map produced here, it is noticeable that most Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire records are from urban locations, with few records from the more rural areas of all three counties. This may be down to lower levels of human habitation away from our towns and cities, meaning fewer people actually see them.

Away from the city of Nottingham and its out-lying suburban areas, all the other Nottinghamshire records (in addition to the Eakring record) are very much isolated occurrences including single records from Forest Town in Mansfield, Balderton in Newark and at Rampton. It is perhaps surprising, there is just one record from the Mansfield area and still none at all from the towns of Worksop and Retford, when there are many records from further north in the UK.

Most of Nottinghamshire's 76 known/traceable records have occurred during the Autumn, when there is obviously a genuine migratory movement, or adult dispersal prior to over-wintering. The last week of September and the first week of October, provide a clear peak in the county's known records at the time of writing (December 2018). Since 2015, there has been an increasing trend for late Winter and early Spring records, so adults must be over-wintering here quite successfully.