A suspected Asian hornet has been spotted in a garden in Harrogate today.
Andy Johnson believes he spotted one of the invasive insects on the fence outside his garden in the Hookstone area of town.
He told the Stray Ferret:
“I didn’t manage to get a camera in time to take a photo, but I had a look online afterwards.
“I put two pictures up on Facebook and someone I know said one was a European hornet and the second was an Asian hornet.
“The one that’s more akin to what I saw is the Asian one, with slightly orangey wings. If it was an identity parade, I would say it’s the second one.”
https://twitter.com/andyj2859/status/1551539714989199360
The invasive species is a threat to native honey bees, which is why Defra asks sightings to be reported via its website – and even set up an app for reporting sightings in 2017.
Its website said the hornets pose “no greater risk to human health than a bee” but they were a threat to British honey bees, which was the reason any sightings needed to be reported.
Since 2016, there have been 22 confirmed sightings in the UK, including 12 nests which have been destroyed. One of the sightings in 2018 was in Hull, but the rest are mostly closer to the south coast and commonly in September and October.
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Mr Johnson said he had reported his sighting to the Harrogate and Ripon Beekeepers Association and was awaiting a call back. He added:
“My neighbour saw it first and said, ‘what’s that?’
“She is a retired doctor who has lived here for many years. She’s into gardening and she knows much more about identifying insects and things than I do, so if it’s not something she recognises then it must be unusual.”
He added he wanted people to be aware that the insects could have migrated to the Harrogate area so if they spotted one, they would know to take a photograph and report it.
