ASIAN HORNETS (Vespa Velutina) KILL HONEY BEES
There's an alert to watch out for, and report, Asian Hornets which have found their way to the United Kingdom from Europe and can kill honey bees at the rate of, it said on the BBC news, forty per minute. They are savage little critters and I saw on BBC news a video clip showing an Asian Hornet attacking a little honey bee, and the other bees were trying to drag the injured honey bee back into the hive. How sad. So this is my contribution to the alert. You are looking for a hornet (looks like a wasp) with a gold/yellow band on a dark abdomen. See poster and the video clip below.
Description below from British Bee Keepers Association
Mobile phone apps created to report Asian Hornet sightings (gov.uk)
You can send a picture of the insect you think is an Asian Hornet and email it to: alertnonnative@ceh.ac.uk
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| (c) Non Native Species Secretariat |
Description below from British Bee Keepers Association
- Vespa velutina queens are up to 3 cm in length; workers up to 25 mm (slightly smaller than the native European hornet Vespa crabro)
- Entirely dark brown or black velvety body, bordered with a fine yellow band
- Only one band on the abdomen: 4th abdominal segment almost entirely yellow/orange
- Legs brown with yellow ends
- Head black with an orange-yellow face
- Vespa velutina is a day flying species which, unlike the European hornet, ceases activity at dusk