Asian Hornets

The UK could be invaded by killer hornets, which send their victims into a fatal anaphylactic shock.

15:16 20 May 2016

Asian hornets, which first arrived in France in 2004 through a pottery shipment from China, may be on the way to the UK after a string of sightings have been recorded over the past weeks.

 

Growing to nearly 1.5-inches long, the killer hornets have powerful sting that can kill humans in just minutes. Last year, six people in France died in just minutes after being stung. 

 

The hornets are able to kill off a hive of 30,000 honeybees within hours, prompting the National Bee Unit (NBU) to issue red alert for beekeepers. Worries have been raised that millions of stinging pests could arrive in the UK over the coming weeks and the NBU is asking members of the public to report nests of the hornets.

 

A spokesman for the National Bee Unit said: "The Asian hornet, also known as the yellow legged hornet, is native to Asia and was confirmed for the first time in the South West of France in 2004.

 

"It was thought to have been imported in a consignment of pottery from China and it quickly established and spread to many regions of France.

 

"The hornet preys on honeybee and disrupts the ecological role which it provides, harming commercial beekeeping activities.

 

"It has also altered the biodiversity in regions where it is present and is potentially deadly to allergic people.

 

"All beekeepers should remain vigilant and be on the look out for it in their apiaries."