which has caused problems for French beekeepers since being inadvertently imported by a bonsai nursery in a delivery of pottery from Shanghai in China in 2004.
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| Asian Hornet |
The Asian Hornet has spread to Spain and Belgium and Franck Muller of the Museum of National History in Paris has predicted it could cross into Britain by 2014. (Source Daily Telegraph 2012)
Stuart Hine, manager of the Insect Information Service at London's Natural History Museum has said: "There's no doubt that these hornets are heading north and will probably find their way to Britain at some point," said Stuart Hine, manager of the Insect Information Service at London's Natural History Museum. "Climate change certainly means they can cope with European summers. However, they would still have difficulty coping with our winter frosts." (Source Daily Telegraph 2007)
Beekeepers in Britain will hope that the harsh winter of 2012-2013 will have slowed their spread.
Watch how Vespa velutina nigrithorax hovers in front of the hive waiting to pick off her prey.
She may be beautiful, but she is deadly to our honey bees.
Beebase, a valuable resource for British beekeepers has a useful page:
Information on the Asian Hornet from BeeBase
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Marvellous Wasps
http://starfrostmoon.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/marvellous-wasps.html