Defending champion Luke Littler and some of the biggest names in darts have been firmly on stage during the opening week of the World Darts Championship – by hornets!
The Alexandra Palace wasp is a phenomenon notorious for wreaking havoc at the World Championships, but it will undoubtedly be in the spotlight more than ever at the 2026 event.
Why does this continue? What, if anything, is being done to prevent the constant gatecrashes? And what was the Hornet’s greatest Allied moment?
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Ted Ebbets may have lost his fight to Luke Humphries in the first round of the World Championship, but he won his fight against Ally Parry Wasp.
Why are there bees in Alexandra Palace?
By late autumn, worker bee colonies begin to die due to lack of food and the coldness of the climate, and the queen survives and hibernates for the winter.
The Ally Parry hornet is therefore likely a queen bee, whose hibernation is interrupted intermittently by the lure of warmer weather provided by the body heat of the thousands of darters each night and the warmth of stage spotlights and broadcast equipment.
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Emma Payton gives us a little insight into what you can expect to see at this year’s World Darts Championship.
But why is the wasp in the palace in the first place?
PDC said in a statement about the hornets: “This is natural… there are many open parks at the venue.
“At this time of year, queens are looking for warm, dry places, so they end up in places like this, especially given that the doors are open not only during rigs but also when fans arrive.
“When you’re indoors, they’re attracted to the light and heat, so they end up on the stage.”
Opened in 1875 and protected as a Grade II listed building, Alexandra Palace has endless nooks and crannies for wasps to nest in during the winter.
And, as the PDC said in a statement, the building is located within a 196-acre park rich in wildlife, further attracting insects seeking warmth and shelter.
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See some of the many reasons we love the World Championships, featuring dancing dart players, hornets on stage and some funny mishaps.
What was Wasp’s Ally Pally’s biggest hit?
Hornet Ally Parry’s debut is largely thought to have been during Adrian Lewis’ title defense in 2012, when Jackpot was stung during the match.
So reigning champion Luke Ritter, speaking on stage after winning this year’s opening round, took his interaction with the hornet as a good sign. “Did he (Lewis) keep it? He did. That could be etched in the stars for me.”
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After his win over Darius Rabanaskas, Luke Littler spent the beginning of his post-fight interview dodging the infamous Alexandra Palace wasp.
This wasn’t Littler’s first showdown with the hornet, as he thought he might have been stung in his 2024 World Championship debut, where he defeated Brendan Dolan in the quarterfinals.
“It felt a little crunchy. You could see it flapping near the end,” Littler said at the time. “It didn’t bother me. I just felt it a little bit. I don’t know if it stung me or not.”
Earlier this year, Dolan shared his thoughts on the infamous Ally Parry Wasp.
“As soon as[Ross Smith]wiped it out, all his good luck was gone. I was hoping it would fall on me, but in another way, I didn’t want to get stung by it.”
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Ross Smith won the third set against Andreas Harrison despite having a hornet on his shoulder in the final leg.
Indeed, Smith, who was stung three times during a fight in 2023, was once again under the hornet’s gaze this year when he suffered an early exit from Andreas Harrison, but Rob Cross failed to notice the hornet sting on his shoulder during an on-stage interview after his first-round win over Coe Decker.
This year, the hornets themselves were shaved several times.
After Luke Humphries’ first win over Ted Ebbets, Ebbets ticked the clock on his shirt collar and appeared to shoo a hornet away with a firm flick of his fingers, then waved it off with a smile.
However, he reappeared shortly afterwards during Gabriel Clemens’ win over Alex Spellman and, incredibly, when he appeared to be hit by Nitin Kumar’s dart mid-flight.
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A hornet landed on Sebastian Bialecki’s shoulder during a thrilling five-set match against Stephen Bunting.
There have been numerous other sightings over the years, including Peter Wright’s spray-haired Mohawk in 2017, but darts aren’t the only thing hornets like.
At the Masters Snooker Tournament held at Alexandra Palace earlier this year, the famous hornet was spotted flying around Shaun Murphy during his final match against Kyren Wilson.
And the big question is, is it the same wasp? Now, perhaps in the lead up to Christmas you should ask yourself if you are a believer?
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match live exclusively on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel (Sky channel 407 from 10 December on Sky Channel 407) until 3 January. Stream darts and other top sports now.
