"Giant Asian killer hornet found in Chapelfields home"

[dutchman]

Donna Johnson took to social media to find out if the one-and-a-half inch creepy crawly she found in the night was dangerous



Could this be a killer Asian hornet known for wiping out whole bee colonies across Europe?

One Chapelfields mother took to social media to find out after the giant creature landed on her daughter’s bed.

Donna Johnson was alerted to the fearsome-looking insect by her husband and her daughter.

“It’s still a mystery on how it got into my house but it’s bigger then anything I’ve ever seen.

“I can only assume it came in through a window.

She said: “It was only spotted by my daughter at night, just sitting on her bed. She obviously freaked out due to its size."

Donna’s husband managed to trap the one-and-a-half inch creepy crawly in a jar as they tried to find out whether it was a European or Asian hornet.

She said: “My husband was wary catching it in a jar. I’ve never seen anything this big so asked about on social media.

“I did research the Asian variety as they have been responsible for deaths abroad. I was more anxious as my two-year-old granddaughter lives here.”

Despite its size and fearsome pincers, experts say the insect will generally avoid conflict, although it would deliver a extremely painful sting in response to being stepped on or grabbed.

A spokesman from Stratford Butterfly Farm previously told the Telegraph that European hornets “aren’t a problem. They are quite docile.”

Although it is not yet present in the UK, some people say it is likely to arrive soon, especially southern England, either flying across the Channel or in imported goods such as pot plants, flowers, fruit and timber.

[dutchman]

Another giant hornet spotted swarming around Coventry



Another giant hornet has been spotted in Coventry.

The mammoth flying insect was caught by Nicola Rhodes in her Binley home.

She told the Telegraph she was going to her room to do some accounting when she heard a loud buzzing - which was coming from the huge hornet.

She said: “I heard a loud buzzing and found the hornet inside my bedroom window.

“I was worried that I’d be stung, so I caught it in a large coffee jar. My hands were shaking. It wasn’t happy.”

The mother-of-four said that in all her years of gardening she had never seen an insect so big. It was larger than a 50-pence piece.

The 46-year-old added: “I wasn’t sure if it was native to this country as it was so big.

“I’m a gardener and am used to seeing lots of bugs. I still have it in the jar, since the picture does not really show how big it was.”

Last month, a mother from Chapelfields found a similar-sized European hornet resting on her daughter’s bed.

Despite their size and fearsome pincers, experts say European hornets will generally avoid conflict, although it would deliver a extremely painful sting in response to being stepped on or grabbed.

A spokesman from Stratford Butterfly Farm told the Telegraph the hornets “aren’t a problem. They are quite docile.”

Giant European hornets are often mistaken for their deadly Asian counterparts who are more vicious, can devour up to 50 honey bees a day and have caused deaths by anaphylactic shock from their sting.

The British Beekeepers Association says the typically worker Asian hornets are 2.5cm long with their Queens growing up to 3cm long.

They have an “entirely dark brown or black velvety body, bordered with a fine yellow band”.

Although it is not yet present in the UK, some people say it is likely to arrive soon, especially southern England, either flying across the Channel or in imported goods such as pot plants, flowers, fruit and timber.