Concern at early arrival of Asian hornets

Guernsey has seen an early influx of Asian hornets this year, with 11 captured so far, surpassing last year's numbers at this time.

Francis Russell from Guernsey's Asian hornet team expressed concern over the early arrival, which could signal a higher number of hornets throughout the season.

"They usually show up in April and May, and their arrivals taper off by early June and since they've been here quite early this year, we expect more to come," he said.

The Asian hornet is a non-native invasive species and an aggressive predator of many types of insect including honeybees.

Hornets have been found around the island from Vale to St Pierre du Bois.

Mr Russell said the captures "show that people are aware of what to do if they spot one".

"People are doing a great job identifying hornets and not killing them, which is important because we don't want to harm queen wasps or other insects," he said.

"We respond very quickly."

There is more advice here about what to do if you spot an Asian hornet.

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