Simon Spratley News Today

The UK is bracing for an invasion of Asian hornets, with the number of the insects set to surge in the coming weeks after a 3,800% increase in sightings last year

Asian hornets pose a serious threat and can obliterate bees' nests in minutes with a worrying 3,800% rise in sightings last year, as Defra bosses urge Brits to report the insects

The Asian hornet is infamous for being able to kill humans when gathered in swarms, and because they can demolish bee hives in matter of hours by ripping off the heads of honey bees and sucking up their innards

The giant insects that can devour more than 60 bees a day, have killed thousands of bees at Peter Down's apiary in Kent

Peter Down says he has lost nearly everything after Asian hornets wiped out the majority of his hives

Devastated Peter Down, 40, watched in horror as the invading insects massacred thousands of bees at his apiary in Kent.

Beleaguered beekeepers on the frontline in Kent say there is no greater risk to the future of pollinators than the Asian hornet

Scientists have urged Brits to report sightings of the invasive predators as record numbers of the vicious insects have been spotted spelling doom for native species

The invasive insect threatens to get a foothold, with nests found in East Sussex, Kent, Devon and Dorset.

There have been more confirmed sightings of the Asian hornet in 2023 than the last six years combined