Call for public help as killer Asian hornets to reach âalarmingâ level in UK, (PA) Experts are asking for help from the British public as swathes of killer Asian hornets are expected to arrive in the UK this year, with experts warning the numbers could reach record levels. The number of queens spotted on the Channel Island of Jersey is already close to surpassing the record set in 2019, with 63 having already been discovered. So far this year, a total of 38 queens have been found by members of the public and a further 25 were caught in traps around the island. As such, numbers have almost surpassed the record number recorded two years ago, when 69 killer queens were found in 2019.
After years of establishing themselves on Jersey and Guernsey, the battleground shifted last year to Southern England, leading to calls for a people s army to help fight off an impending invasion of killer hornets onto mainland Britain. The Asian hornet is smaller than our native hornet and while it poses no greater threat to humans than a bee, it can harm honey bees. When the hornets find a bee colony or apiary, they focus on honey bees as their prey. The species began spreading through Europe in 2004 after arriving in the south of France inside a freight ship, and are increasingly common across the Channel.