Bee killer Asian hornets head to UK as volunteers try to stop invasive insect's spread
25 April 2022, 06:59 | Updated: 25 April 2022, 07:37
Asian hornets are heading towards the UK after making landfall in the Channel Islands.
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The insects, which prey on bees and spark fears for those animals, have moved north from France and prompted a warning for people in the Channel to be on the look-out.
It devours honeybees and similar animals in France, where it has been moving north from.
One of the hornets was caught on Alderney on Tuesday, while on Guernsey a hornet was found dead before a third was caught in a trap.
Francis Russell, a project co-ordinator for the Asian hornet project there, said: "We think these are coming fresh from France. The wind is set to be north-easterly through the next week.
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The Sun quoted him as saying: "We tend to get Asian hornets during north-easterly winds or just afterwards. I think this is the start. More will be found."
Earlier this year, more than 20 hornets were found in Jersey. The discoveries could mark another bid to stop them spreading an harming Britain's bees.
The RSPB says: "The Asian hornet is a non-native species in the UK, as it hails from east Asia and could not arrive in the UK naturally.
"The concern around the Asian hornet is that it is a significant predator of bees. In France, it has consumed large numbers of bees, including the well-known European honey bee and many lesser-known solitary and colonial bee species.
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"Nature conservation organisations, including the RSPB, are concerned about the impacts of Asian hornets on bees, as these pollinating species are an essential component of well-functioning ecosystems.”
The hornet has also caused concern for people with allergies, and its sting has forced people into hospital.
Guernsey has an Asian hornet strategy, now in its fourth year, to try and keep the insect's spread to a minimum.
The project tries to trap queen hornets as they emerge from hibernation or as they arrive from France.
Volunteer landowners and homeowners across Guernsey are being asked to take part, and almost 300 traps have been set up.
