Lynne Ingram, a beekeeper with 30 honeybee colonies near Bridgwater, Somerset, said: 'Now is the time to spot the hornets so that their nests can be destroyed before they multiply.' They were then spotted on the Channel Island of Jersey in late 2016, and are feared to have now made it to southern England.ДЄ beekeepers association has pleaded for the public's help to destroy nests before they are able to multiply and killed off Britain's bee population. The species began to spread through Europe in 2004 after arriving in the south of France inside a freight ship. Recent wet weather has created a 'perfect breeding ground' and raised fears the deadly insects will arrive in record numbers on British shores. Reports out this week also warned of swarms of Asian hornets - two-inch long critters whose sting can kill - set to arrive in the UK next month. Mr Bates added: 'The best thing to teach anybody is not to frantically wave arms around at wasps as this suggests that they are under attack.and they will emit a pheromone to attract their mates, who are also likely to have been feasting on fermented fruit.' Windfall fruit can ferment on its own, when the high sugar content turns into alcohol - especially if the fruit is damaged and left lying around for several days. Last year alone saw seven nests destroyed, but the problem is getting bigger. Since then there have also been 17 sightings on the British mainland.ДЄsian hornets have a dark brown or black velvety body, have a yellow or orange band on the fourth segment of the abdomen and have yellow-tipped legs. They have since spread rapidly across Europe, arriving in Jersey in 2016 when winds carried fertilised queens over from France. Should the hornets become established in Britain, they will pose an enormous threat to our honey-bees, already badly affected by habitat loss, parasites and pesticides.ДЄsian hornets first hitched a ride to the West in flower-pots exported from China to France in 2004. Lying in wait for the bees as they return to their hives, the hornets first decapitate them and rip off their wings, making it easier to carry the bees back to their own nests as protein-rich morsels for their young. Asian hornets are a foreign invasive specific and are ruthless killers of other flying insects - particularly honey-bees, of which they can consume up to 50 a day.

Drunk on nectar play now