England: He discovers a nest of Asian hornets the size of a basketball in his garden

In England, a man received the scare of his life after discovering a giant Asian hornet's nest in his garden.

A giant Asian hornet's nest the size of a basketball was discovered on Thursday (September 29th) in a garden in Rayleigh, a town in Essex county ( England ).

Photo credit: DEFRA

Faced with this situation, David Holborn, the owner of the premises, hastened to contact the Agency for Plant and Animal Health, explains BBC News. And the least we can say is that the Briton experienced the scare of his life: “ It's quite amazing to think that the nest has been in our garden for two months “, he explained to the news site.

The not 50 centimeters in diameter was nestled in a tree about six meters high. Officers dispatched to the scene used an insecticide to destroy the structure. The remains were transferred on Saturday October 1 to the Fera Science Center in York.

Photo credit: Istock

Since then, an investigation has been opened to locate the hornets In the region. For their part, scientists will try to determine where the insects come from. Finally, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has issued a warning to local beekeepers.

The Asian hornet: a danger to wildlife

Asian hornets, first spotted in Britain in 2016 in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, pose no more risk to humans than wasps such as wasps or bumblebees.

On the other hand, they are known to ferociously attack honey bee nests before devouring them. The Plant and Animal Health Agency warns that these yellow-legged creatures pose a “significant threat” to British wildlife.

Photo credit: Istock

Note that the Asian hornet ( Vespa velutina ) is a separate species from the Asian giant hornet ( Mandarin Vespa ), which has been found in North America.