Asian Hornet spotted in Sark

Guernsey States are asking islanders to be watchful after a possible Asian Hornet was spotted in Sark.

The hornet was sighted by a local resident this weekend but is yet to be formally identified as the breed.

The Agriculture Department say the hornet poses a "significant threat to honey bees and other pollinators" but they are not directly harmful to humans.

They are now working closely with the States of Alderney, Jersey, and Sark to ensure people are aware of this most recent sighting.

The Guernsey Beekeeping Association has advised its members on steps to increase vigilance and monitoring of bee hives through the use of baited hornet traps.

They say that sightings of Asian Hornet's are most likely to be found around bee hives, as it is an aggressive predator of honey bees.

For anyone who thinks they have seen an Asian Hornet they are asked to read the Asian Hornet ID sheet on the National Bee Unit’s website here.

If you think you have seen an Asian hornet after reading this then you should report it to the following email addresses; alertnonnative@ceh.ac.uk and Linda.mccutcheon@gov.gg.