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Hornets '4 times size of a wasp' on deadly rampage
Cheryl Chumley
Asian hornets
Asian hornets about four times the size of a regular wasp – the same type blamed for killing six in France in the last year – have touched down in Britain and begun terrorizing the local honey bee population.
The species is the largest wasp in the world and its venom contains eight kinds of chemicals. Swarms can takes out a bee colony in just a few minutes, Express reported.
They hit up to three inches in size and will, when provoked, attack people. Just this past year, six in France were killed by Asian hornet stings, Express reported.
The hornets eat other insects, particularly those of the bee and wasp families, and can hit flying speeds of 25 miles per hour. They can also travel up to 60 miles at a time.
One British homeowner, Kirsty Everard, 25, said she found one in her Westbourne bedroom.
“I could hear it before I could see it,” she said, Express reported. “It sounded like a small plane going over the house. I went into the bedroom and there it was. It was absolutely huge, about four times the size of a wasp.”
An Asian hornet
She said she tried to corner it with a vase.
“It started chasing me around the room,” she said. “When I went back in, I couldn’t see it, so I think it’s gone.”
Asian hornets are believed to be more aggressive than honey bees and other types of hornets, and are able to destroy 30,000 bees in just a couple hours. In France, production of honey dropped dramatically after the Asian hornets moved into the area.
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