“Asian hornets have caused havoc in France, where they have a stronghold, and have decimated honeybee populations… The Asian hornets first came to Europe in 2004 when they were spotted in France, and it is thought they were accidentally transported in cargo from Asia. They rapidly spread across western Europe and have crossed the Channel to Britain, probably also in cargo… Once they establish permanent populations they are almost impossible to stop.”

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Asian hornets have been spotted in their greatest numbers yet in the UK, which could have a devastating effect on native bees, which they kill, dismember and eat.

Once they establish permanent populations they are almost impossible to stop, so the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in the UK has launched an eradication campaign, destroying any nests and capturing individuals.

Prof Juliet Osborne, the chair in applied ecology at the University of Exeter, said: “This year has certainly seen quite an increase in the number of Asian hornet nests found in the south-east of England.

“It is no great surprise, because this species is spreading rapidly through Europe and can cause real damage to honeybee colonies as they predate on the bees at the entrance to hives.

They also eat a wide range of other insects, so their gradual spread across Europe may well affect other wild species as well as the managed honeybee.

Defra’s chief plant and bee health officer, Nicola Spence, said: “By ensuring we are alerted to possible sightings as early as possible, we can take swift and effective action to stamp out the threat posed by Asian hornets.

I’m a bot and I’m open source!

Found a pdf on how to identify them on the defra website - https://www.nonnativespecies.org/assets/Uploads/ID_Vespa_velutina_Asian_Hornet_5.0-1.pdf

Sorry mate it’s my fault I keep Mr. Magooing myself into large swarms.

Bees with hips

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