Asian hornets that can eat up to 50 bees a day are almost certain to “breed and live in the UK” and could “wreak havoc” if they become established here, an insect expert has warned.
Paul Hetherington, communications and engagement director at the Buglife charity, made the comments after the UK’s earliest sighting of one of the wasps was confirmed on March 11.
The sighting has led conservationists to warn that Asian hornets may have become established in the UK.
Flying insects are about 25 mm long, while queen ants are about 30 mm long. Their abdomens are mostly black, and they differ from European wasps in that their legs end in yellow.
They prey on a variety of insects, including bees and bumblebees.
They were first spotted in the UK in 2016, and Hetherington said the earliest sightings this year were “extremely worrying”.
He told Sky News presenter Sarah-Jane Mee on Britain Tonight: “An adult Asian hornet can eat about 50 bees a day, which is equivalent to one wasp eating an entire nest of hornets. .
“So imagine what a brood of Asian giant hornets would do to our bee populations… They could have a catastrophic impact on bees because they’re coming in from abroad and not a lot of things are going to be there before them.” in this country.
“So it’s very, very concerning.”
Hetherington added that it was “almost certain” that Asian hornets “are breeding and living in the UK” – where 14 nests were destroyed in August, September and October last year.
He added that the hornets appeared to be taking root in southern England, which is home to some of the UK’s rarest species of hornets, such as the screeching carder and the brown-banded carder.
“They can easily have a devastating impact on a population like this,” Mr Hetherington said.
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Asian wasps have yellowish legs.
The insect expert added that the Asian giant hornet’s presence could be “absolutely catastrophic” for consumers if too many bees, which pollinate a variety of crops, are eaten.
Mr Hetherington continued: “If we lost all our pollinators, our food bill would increase by around £2 billion a year on selective foods such as fruit and peas because we would have to pay people the minimum wage to Go out for hand pollination.
“If they gain a foothold and wreak havoc, the knock-on effects would be absolutely catastrophic just for consumers in this country.”
Hetherington said it was clear Asian bees were already well established in northern France and it would be very difficult to drive them out of the UK.
The Asian hornet is native to Asia and was first discovered in Europe in 2004 in southwestern France.
It is thought that they were a shipment of pottery from China.
They are now reportedly set up in Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Jersey.
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