If you hate bees and wasps, here’s some news that will both delight you and terrify you all at the same time. We’re set to have an invasion of hornets. It’s scary because they’re horrendous things. It’s sort of good because they eat bees?
The Irish Independent reports that aisan hornets, which have already devastated beehives across France, are moving closer and closer to Ireland. In fact, the European Environment Agency (EAA) has predicted that the nasty little blighters could arrive on or shores sooner rather than later.
The bee-killing hornet is just one insect that has been added to a growing watch-list of unwanted visitors to Ireland. This list includes the black rat and the giant hogweed.
The asian hornet eats honey bees
So what does an asian hornet look like? Well they’re larger than bees and wasps and has yellow legs. They’re usually around 1.5cm and 3cm long. The scary part is that hornets can sting people multiple times, unlike bees, who sting you once and then die. It’s also worth noting that if you’re allergic to a wasp’s venom, then chances are, you’ll also be allergic to a hornet’s venom.
The EEA have alerted Irish beekeepers to the potential threat posed by the hornet, and the beekeepers will be meeting officials from the Department of Agriculture to see what can be done to prevent these hornets from wiping out honey-making bees.
Eh… is anyone else as freaked out about this as we are? We love summer but if there’s one thing we hate about it, it’s the amount of bees/wasps all over the place. Adding hornets to the mix just makes our skin crawl even more. Shudder!
