Killer Asian hornets whose sting can kill a man have been discovered on the Channel island of Jersey sparking fears the invasive predators will descend on mainland Britain to wreak havoc.
The insects, whose sting can prove fatal if the victim is allergic to their venom, are a threat to local wildlife and can consume up to 50 honey bees in single day.
The fear is that the insects will make the short hop across to mainland UK and potentially cause havoc.
Some 13 hornet nests containing queens have already been destroyed in Jersey this year, compared to 12 in 2018, according to a report.
An expert said that the pests are a threat to biodiversity, with current wet conditions in the country set to provide a perfect breeding ground for the bugs, the Mirror reports.
The Jersey Evening Post said that 80 Asian hornet queens have been found on the island so far this year.
Insect expert Alastair Christie told the newspaper: "A lot of people are on high alert, which means the amount of reports is much higher than last year.
"So far we have had a total of 203 reported sightings of Asian hornets and of those, just 80 turned out to be a hornet – the rest were just wasps, bees and other pollinating insects.
"But while the increased amount of sightings is partly down to people being more aware, it is also undoubtedly due to the fact that there are more of them on the island this year."
The insects are originally from Asia, however they emerged in France in 2004 and eventually reached the Channel Islands and UK in 2016, the newspaper reports.
