Scientists propose a way to defend the UK against the invasion



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Asian hornets will be labeled as criminals in a high-tech attempt to attack their invasion of the United Kingdom.

Scientists developed electronic radio tags that could be used to trace insects in their nests – and prevent them from killing British bees

Big bugs, which exceed the size of the British species, are arrived in France in 2004 after being smuggled into the country by a cargo of pottery from China

. jaws powerful enough to chew the protective clothing worn by beekeepers.

In addition to being dangerous to humans, they can destroy a hive of 30,000 bees in a matter of hours.

Adult Asian hornet "hawk" to hive colonies to catch bees, before dismembering their bodies and bringing them back to their nest to feed their larvae.

Hornet Marking

According to the National Bee Unit, Asian hornets are likely to cross the English Channel and read across the UK. There were a number of sightings of hornets recorded on the British shores last summer.

Defra says Asian Hornet in cauliflower at Bury in Lancashire, but brought back to Boston in Lincs.https: //t.co/sDYL7dcD7i # bees #beeeeping pic.twitter. com / YG0KkOituu

– BBKA (@britishbee) April 13, 2018

But all is not lost. Scientists at Exeter University have managed to attach tiny tags each weighing less than 80% of the insect's body weight to Asian hornets in a technology.

They tested the technique in the south of France and Jersey. "Our new tracking method offers a very important new tool to combat the spread of this invader, providing an effective way to find hornet nests in urban, rural and rural areas. According to Peter Kennedy, Principal Investigator at the Institute for Environment and Sustainable Development Penryn Campus of the University of Exeter,

Professor Juliet Osborne, co-author of the Study, director of the environment and sustainable development, added: find the nests early in the season to prevent the spread of the hornet, because later in the year, hundreds of new queens emerge and disperse from each nest, each with potential

The work was funded by Defra, who is preparing the nation for future outbreaks of Asian hornet infestations.

Report of Observations

Nicola Spence, Deputy Director of Defra for Plant and Bee Health, said: "This work is essential to ensure a rapid response to Asian hornets when observations are confirmed , and in the future bee inspectors will be able to use this technique to act quickly. "

Dr. Denis Thiéry, from INRA Bordeaux-Aquitaine France who collaborated in the project agrees: "In France, the Asian hornet is unlikely to be eliminated, so the efforts are focused more on limiting their impact. "

The first Asian hornet discovered in Britain was in Gloucestershire in 2016.

Another nest was destroyed in Woolacombe, Devon, last year. In April of this year, only one hornet was found in Lancashire and traced back to Boston, Linconshire.

Asian hornets are identified by their largely brown or black bodies and yellow-tipped legs. They also have an orange-yellow line running around their middles and their orange faces.

Any suspected sighting of an Asian hornet should be reported, ideally with a photo. The government has launched a free app, called the Asian Hornet Watch, to make the reporting process to the National Bee Unit faster and easier.

Comments may also be emailed to: [email protected]

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