Killer Asian hornets are heading closer to the UK sparking fresh warnings to Brits to be vigilant.
The first swarms of the year have now been found on Guernsey and are believed to be a "fresh wave" of insects.
Asian hornet project coordinator Francis Russell said the 'intrusion' into the Balliwick on the island began when one was caught in Alderney last Tuesday.
A second hornet was then reported dead on the roadside in the village of L'Islet in Guernsey this week while another was caught in a queening trap in a garden on the island on Thursday.
The sightings have prompted a fresh warning to islanders to be vigilant to the fresh wave of invaders.
Mr Russell said: "We think these are coming fresh from France.
"The wind is set to be north-easterly through the next week.
'We tend to get Asian hornets during north-easterly winds or just afterwards. I think this is the start. I think more will be found."
The number of queens found on the Channel Islands - the bug's British isles' HQ - is expected to start rising as the summer approaches.
Both Jersey and Guernsey are seen as the frontline in the fight against the deadly insects and say the increase is caused by them 'blowing in' from mainland Europe by strong easterly winds.
This is expected to lead to another summer-long battle to stop the spread of the insects that could decimate the UK's native bee population.
But experts say there is cause for optimism as the fact the insects are being found quite late in the spring means they are likely travellers coming from France, rather than ones that have been on the island over the winter.
In comparison more than 20 hornets have already been found in Jersey so far this year, as well as two primary nests.
The species began to spread through Europe in 2004 after arriving in the south of France inside a freight ship.
They were was 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.
One hornet can also eat 50 bees in a day.
Mr Russell said so far this year there was no pattern for the insects, so it was important for islanders to be vigilant.
He said the wind direction was likely to be the reason for the recent sightings.
A spring queening project has been set up in Guernsey in which more than 260 traps have been placed across the island over the last few weeks.
It aims to at catch queens before they have a chance to make nests.
