Caravanners blamed for swarm of killer hornets heading to the UK

by Justine Iorga
Caravanners accused of smuggling in killer Asian hornets to UK
Chairwoman of the Norfolk Beekeepers’ Association, Carolyn Liston, has blamed caravanners over concerns that millions of killer hornets could be heading to the UK.
Rumoured to have managed to buzz their way into France by hiding away in a consignment of pottery originating from the Far East, these vicious creatures have already killed six people in France after the sting caused them to go into anaphylactic shock. Their sting is filled with eight toxic chemicals that cause an allergic shock in humans which then can result in deadly consequences.
Now, chairwoman of the Norfolk Beekeepers’ Association, Carolyne Liston, has weighed in on the issue, blaming any possible sighting of Asian hornets on UK soil on caravannners.
She said: “We are concerned they are going to come into Britain on someone’s caravan who has been travelling in France.
“They are a very, very aggressive predator. They wait by the entrance and grab foraging bees as they come back into the hive. They can absolutely decimate bee colonies.”
Caravanners have been blamed for quite a bit over the years – from causing traffic jams to putting a blot on the UK’s landscape – but hornets? Seriously?
Meanwhile, the Animal Veterinary Laboratories Agency is on standby to kill the hornets should they cross the Channel with or without the help of those with caravans and the National Bee Unit of the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will meet in Suffolk next month for a seminar where they will discuss ways to deal with these predators that can devour as many as 50 honey bees in a day. Defra has sent email alerts to beekeepers across the country, urging them to be on guard for this menace.
We at CaravanTimes are totally for protecting ourselves and others from danger, but for Liston to assume these killer insects are on a one way ticket courtesy of our caravans is, perhaps stretching things a tad too far. What about the huge number of heavy goods vehicles en route from France too? Or, for that matter, regular passengers on ferry crossings or other forms of transportation from across the Channel? The issue certainly shouldn’t be contained to those with caravans.
The above said, it pays to be on the look out for these killer hornets, which could possibly be attracted to the warm spring we are currently experiencing across the UK. So, if you’re unsure about how to tell these Asian hornets apart from European hornets, we’ve included some facts about them below:
– Asian hornets are generally active between April and November.
– Queens can grow up to 3cm in length, with her workers measuring in at around 2.5cm.
– Asian hornets have an entirely dark brown or black velvety body, bordered with a fine yellow band. It has a black head with orange-yellow face
– It nests in tall trees in urban and rural areas, and nests can also be found in sheds, garages, under decking or in holes in the wall or ground
– The Asian Hornet is a day flying species which, unlike the European hornet, returns to its nest at dusk.
Make sure you’re on the look out for the killer hornets wherever you are in the UK and let us know what you think about Carolyne Liston’s comments below? Should caravanners be singled out or should this be a message to all those who make a Channel crossing? One thing’s for sure – she’s certainly put bee in our bonnet.