Hornets are a pest

The Lincolnshire Bee Keepers Association has urged Lincolnshire people to be vigilant against Asian hornets.
It’s on the lookout for the invasive species in the county amid concerns they’re spreading.
Last summer over 70 nests were discovered, mostly in Kent, but two in Yorkshire.
A team of four from the Lincolnshire Bee Keepers Association is heading to the Channel Islands to work with the Jersey Asian Hornet Action Team to learn firsthand the methods involved with tackling the species.
“They’ve been mounting an extensive fight against this devastating predator for eight or nine years,” a spokesman for the county bee keepers said. “We predict it is inevitable these invasive predators will reach Lincolnshire at some point.
“Asian hornets are an incredibly destructive invasive species and specialise in preying on honey bee hives as well as other vital pollinators.
“The hornets ‘hawk’ the front of target bee hives, killing honey bees and feeding them to their young. One Asian hornet alone can kill 60-90 honey bees per day, and dozens of them will ‘hawk’ a hive simultaneously decimating the bees, meaning it can be destroyed or irreparably weakened to the extent it cannot survive.”
Stewart Maher, Lincolnshire’s Asian hornet coordinator, said: “The experience gained by the volunteers in Jersey will be invaluable and will help us protect the county’s bees and the public from the Asian Yellow Legged hornet. A further party of four is planned for 2025.
“This is a perilous situation for honeybees and other insect life in Lincolnshire. We are calling on everyone in the county to be vigilant, and report Asian hornet sightings by taking a photo and using the Asian hornet app on your iPhone. You can identify an Asian hornet by its very distinct markings – yellow lower legs and a largely black body, twice the size of a common wasp.”