Hornet alert

The native European hornet is a valued and important part of our wildlife, and queens and nests of this species should not be destroyed.

Asian hornets on the other hand are an invasive non-native species, inadvertently brought to France in 2004 and are significant predators of bees.

Since arriving in France, the species has spread rapidly and is now present across France, and possible sightings have recently been reported in some southern counties of  England.

However, despite some fairly dire warnings of the exact opposite, Asian hornets are not going to kill us all if they make their way to Yorkshire.

While Asian hornets pose no greater risk to human health than native hornets, they are a threat to our native honey bees, which is why it is important to quickly contain them.

So what does it look like?

The main difference between European Hornet and Asian Hornet is the latter is slightly smaller, has characteristic yellow legs, a dark velvety thorax and a dark abdomen with a distinctive yellow band on the fourth segment.

In the unlikely event that you think you see one on the allotment site, or anywhere else for that matter, you can report it here >>

 

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