Asian hornet buzzes in

AN ASIAN hornet which poses a threat to the native honey bee has been spotted in Britain.

The insect, which is smaller than a British hornet, was seen by a member of the public in Bury in a cauliflower grown in Boston, Lincolnshire.

Asian hornets pose no greater threat to human health than bees, but they prey on important pollinating insects such as honey bees and could do serious damage to colonies here. Asian hornets arrived in France in 2004 and are now common across large areas of Europe.

Work is under way in Bury and Boston to identify any nests, including setting up a surveillance zone and traps in the two locations, and deploying inspectors to visit local beekeepers, a spokesman for the Environment Department said.

It is the first confirmed sighting since last year, when a nest was discovered in Woolacombe, North Devon, and destroyed.