Britain is braced for a record-breaking invasion of dangerous Asian hornets.
As well as having a painful sting which could trigger a deadly allergic reaction, the bugs pose a threat to our native population of bees.
This year has seen an “astronomical” rise in the number of hornets on the Channel Island of Jersey, which is seen as the insects’ front line in Britain.
Last year on Jersey, 55 queens were caught and 174 nests discovered. This year, 438 queens have been trapped – which suggests a massive rise in the number of nests.
Jersey’s Asian hornet co-ordinator Alastair Christie described the numbers as “an unprecedented, astronomical increase”. He added: “We may find there are as many, if not more, nests than last year. We just don’t know at the moment.”
The species began to spread through Europe in 2004 after arriving in the south of France inside a freight ship from east Asia. They were spotted on Jersey in late 2016.
After years of establishing themselves on Jersey and Guernsey, they made it to southern England last year. This led to calls for a “people’s army” to help fight off an invasion.
