Warning over deadly Asian hornets after possible sightings in the south of England
Reported sightings in Kent, Devon and Sussex of hornets which killed six people in France last year
Hornets which caused six deaths in France last year may have been spotted in southern England.
The Asian hornet can grow to nearly 1.5-inches long and has a powerful sting.
They first arrived in France in 2004 after arriving in a shipment of pottery from China, and there is concern some may have made it to the UK after a string of possible sightings in the past week.
James Roberts, 35, of Northfleet, Kent, said he killed an Asian hornet last week after it flew past him in his garden.
He said the hornet was around two-inches long and that he whacked it with a newspaper before flushing it down the plughole.
He said: "I felt something big pass my back and at first thought I was stung but I wasn’t.
“I went back inside and it must have followed me in because I then noticed it trapped behind the kitchen curtain near the sink.
“I gave it a whack with a rolled up newspaper and it flew off to die in the basin. I have alerted the appropriate authorities."
And in Hatherleigh in Devon another Asian hornet was said to be spotted by Beverley Palfreman.
She said: "The one I saw was brown with a yellow head - an Asian hornet.
"This species can kill about 50 bees a day, so not a great thing for our Devon bee keepers."
This type of hornet is notorious for being able to kill off a hive of 30,000 honey bees within hours, with each hornet eating up to 50 bees a day.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said there had not yet been any 'confirmed sightings' of Asian hornets in the UK, but that it was aware of the 'potential impact' that they could have on honey bees.
The spokesman tweeted that less dangerous European hornets are already in the UK, but so far Asian hornets have not arrived and anyone who spots one should report it the the Food and Environmental Research Agency (FERA).
Chris Taylor, of Hastings, East Sussex, was another person who said he had spotted an Asian hornet at the weekend.
He said: "It flew past me as I opened the door to the postman and I thought 'what the hell was that?'.
"It landed on my kitchen table and I just stared at it and hoped it would fly back out the door.
There was no way I was going to try and whack it - it was about two-inches long and looked pretty angry.
"In the end it found its way back outside and I slammed the door and closed all the windows - I've never seen anything like it."
A spokesman for the National Bee Unit said: "If you suspect that you have found an Asian hornet, you can send a suspect sample to the NBU laboratory for examination.
"Use a suitable sturdy container (cardboard rather than plastic) and provide as much detail as possible about the hornet and where you found it."
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