Britain braced for explosion of Asian hornets after pests spotted in UK
FEARS are growing of a summer explosion of Asian hornets after reports of the striped terrors turning up in the country.
FEARS are growing of a summer explosion of Asian hornets after reports of the striped terrors turning up in the country.
It's feared the warm, humid conditions are luring them from thousands of miles away across the Channel from France.
An Asian hornet was found in a cauliflower in Lancashire last month and Tom Wharton, 23, claimed he saw them while working at Mylor Yacht Harbour near Truro, Cornwall.
There were dozens and he said they were "deadly-looking things" at least two inches long.
"I work on a boat yard in Mylor. We were working away having a cup of tea and this hornet flew in. It was pretty big - I think it was nearly two inches long.
"It settled on the beam and there were dozens more in the trees next to the boat yard. I tried to get photos but we couldn't get very close because of the fear of being stung."
However the insects Tom saw were later identified as a European hornet.
Last year several Asian hornets were spotted in the UK, and David Thomas posted a photo of one scary-looking terror he found in his kitchen in Launceston.
The National Bee Unit have warned that the beasties are likely to fly across the Channel from Europe and spread across the UK.
Apart from the threat to humans, they can destroy a hive of 30,000 honey bees within hours, say the NBU, which works for Defra, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
A spokesman said: "If you suspect that you have found an Asian hornet, you can send a suspect sample to the NBU laboratory for examination.
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"Use a suitable sturdy container (cardboard rather than plastic) and provide as much detail as possible about the hornet and where you found it."
The insect was introduced to France in 2004 where it has spread rapidly. In 2016 the first UK sighting was confirmed in Gloucestershire, and a second sighting was confirmed in 2017 in North Devon.
Defra says there is a high possibility of introduction through, for example, soil associated with imported plants, cut flowers, fruit, garden items such as furniture and plant pots, freight containers and untreated timber.
A spokesperson for Defra told The Sun Online they had registered one suspected sighting of an Asian hornet in Cornwall, but inspectors later determined it wasn't the pest.
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