Urgent warning over invasion of killer giant Asian hornets in Britain
AN URGENT warning has been issued over the invasion of killer giant Asian hornets in Britain. The yellow-legged insects have taken hold of Jersey, Guernsey and the smaller Channel Islands. And Fran… An Urgent warning has been issued over the invasion of killer giant Asian hornets in Britain, with 22 sightings this year alone. The yellow-legged insects have taken hold of Jersey, Guernsey and the Channel Islands, threatening to overwhelm Britain next. The problem has become so dire that residents on the island have set up a group to keep informed of sightings, and in Jersey at least 476 queen wasps have been found from January to July, making it the UK territory with the most reported cases. Beekeeper Peter Down from New Romney in Kent has reported how the insects are destroying his business, and the first Asian hornet arrived in Europe in 2004. The insects are said to kill up to 50 people in a year and have caused a number of fatalities reported in France.
gepubliceerd : 2 jaar geleden door Jonathan Rose in Science
AN URGENT warning has been issued over the invasion of killer giant Asian hornets in Britain.
The yellow-legged insects have taken hold of Jersey, Guernsey and the smaller Channel Islands.
And Francis Russell, the officer behind the Asian Hornet Strategy in Guernsey, has warned they could overwhelm Britain next.
Sightings on the UK mainland are at a record-high with 22 this year alone, which is more than the last six years combined.
Last year, there were only two sightings.
"Due to the arrival of hornets each spring, the annual eradication of hornets is considered the only achievable goal," he told MailOnline.
"The threats are universal and apply equally across any region in Europe where conditions would allow this insect to successfully colonise.
"One only has to research the situation in other European countries to see how far they have extended their distribution range since the original (accidental) introduction to France in 2004.
"According to the published literature, the rate of spread is 75km/year."
In July it was reported that 10 people needed medical attention after being attacked by the insects in the Channel islands.
The problem has become so dire that residents on the island - which has been dubbed "Britain's hornet frontline" - have set up a group to keep informed of sightings.
In Jersey at least 476 queen wasps have been found from January to July, making it the UK territory with the most reported cases.
Beekeeper Peter Down, from New Romney in Kent, told how killer Asian hornets are destroying his business.
The "biggest Asian Hornet nest" was also found hanging from a ceiling in a Channel Islands home.
The first Asian hornet arrived in Europe in 2004.
A queen was imported into France with some pottery by mistake - since then, the insects have rapidly spread into neighbouring countries like the Netherlands, Belgium, and the UK.
In Japan, the insects are said to kill up to 50 people in a year.
There have also been a number of fatalities reported in France.
Onderwerpen: Asian, United Kingdom