CRESSING PARISH COUNCILAsian Hornets
Asian hornets: your help needed to track invasive species
The Chief Plant Health Officer is asking beekeepers and members of the public to be extra vigilant and report sightings of the Asian hornet using an online tool from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.
The Asian hornet is smaller and darker than the European hornet. It poses no greater risk to human health than our native wasps and hornets, but does pose a risk to honey bees and insect pollinators. It feeds on native bees and wasps, which can damage biodiversity.
It can be identified by its very dark body, wide orange stripe on the fourth abdomen section and yellow leg ends.
Numbers are on the rise in the UK but the species is not yet established here. Early trapping is crucial to controlling numbers, and by reporting sightings you can help with that.
