(Picture: Getty Images/Flikr RM)

For years all we have had to worry about in Britain is the bumble-bee, however a far more dangerous insect might be about to invade our shores.

Experts believe the massive ‘Asian hornets’, which have allegedly killed at least six people in France, might head across the Channel this summer.

Thought to have travelled to France on Chinese plants imported a few years ago, the hornets are known to kill bees until they are able to swarm in and gorge on the newly deserted hive.

Not only has this had a devastating effect on honey output in rural France, but has also enabled the dangerous bees to achieve a foothold in the country, making them nearly impossible to eradicate.




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However bees are not their only victims.

Their sting has been compared to being stabbed with a hot needle, and can kill if the person stung has a severe allergic reaction to it.

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The Norfolk Beekeepers’ Association is to hold its Bee Health Seminar in May where the possible impact of foreign hornets will be one of the topics discussed.

Carolyne Liston, chairwoman of the association, warned the Asian hornets could either travel to Britain in someone’s caravan or even on the wind across the channel.

She called them a ‘very, very aggressive predator’ and mentioned they can ‘absolutely decimate [bee] colonies’.