Urgent warning for Brits to be 'on guard' amid fears of Asian hornet UK invasion
An urgent warning has been issued for the public to be “on guard” amid fears of an invasion of vicious Asian Hornets.
There has already been a suspected sighting of the killer bug, spotted on Sunday, in Plymouth Devon.
This led to the fresh warnings amid years of ongoing efforts to keep the species from becoming too prominent and established in the UK.
The Channel Islands have been the “frontline” of this fight for several years, and sees hundreds of nests destroyed annually.
Defra had the latest sighting reported to them, and it is understood that the alien invader was found attacking bees around a solar wax extractor.
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Posters have now been placed across the area urging the public to check boats and vehicles on their return from trips abroad.
This was the largest ground based nest the Jersey Asian Hornet Group have so far found (John de Cateret / SWNS)
Volunteers from the Jersey Asian Hornet Group remove a giant nest from a hedge and trapped the hornets (John de Cateret / SWNS)The sighting has also prompted several warnings on social media.
Ashgrove Farm, in Tavistock, posted: "If you have bees in Plymouth, please check your hives. If you have a garden, land, hedgerows, outbuildings, trees, caravans, trailers, or sheltered storage, please check for nests.
"The Asian Hornet can wipe out a colony of bees, in a matter of hours, as they feed on the live bees and pupae inside the hive.
"If you have recently returned from a holiday, via the ferry, please check under your trailers and caravans for nests. Please also check for nests when out walking your dog, or while looking up in the trees in parks and woodland areas. If you own a boat which is moored in the Tamar, or has been recently craned out, please check it for nests.
Asian Hornets can destroy bees nests in a matter of hours, and anyone who spots them has been urged to report the sighting (John de Cateret / SWNS)"Do not try to destroy any nest, but notify Plymouth Branch - Devon Beekeepers' Association on Facebook, or @plymouthbeekeepers on Instagram. You can also message us direct, or post pictures of any suspected sightings here.
"A sting from an Asian Hornet is a lot worse than a sting from a wasp or bee, so do not put yourself in harm, or take any risks. They will not sting you, unless provoked, so do not worry or panic."
Sightings on mainland Britain have been rare and the spread has largely been contained, stopping the hornets from naturalising.
But Jersey is still considered the UK's frontline in the battle to stop a full-blown invasion and has seen a huge increase this year.
Last year, 55 queen hornets were found and caught (John de Cateret / SWNS)In 2022 alone, 55 queens were caught on the Channel Island and 174 nests discovered.
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Just last month authorities reported that 438 queens have already been trapped so far this year - which could point to a mass rise in the number of nests.
Asian-hornet co-ordinator Alastair Christie said the numbers were "an unprecedented, astronomical increase".
He said: "'Despite catching 438, we may find that there are as many, if not more, nests than last year. We just don't know at the moment."
Experts no worry that 2023 may see even more Asian hornets (John de Cateret / SWNS)The species began to spread through Europe in 2004 after arriving in the south of France inside a freight ship.
They were then spotted in the British Isles on the Channel Island of Jersey in late 2016.
But after years of establishing themselves on Jersey and Guernsey the battleground shifted last year to Southern England.
This led to calls for a "people's army" to help fight off an impending invasion of killer hornets onto mainland Britain.
The hornets are able to kill with one sting among people who have an allergy while they also pose a threat to the environment and native species.
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