British beekeepers are bracing themselves for the arrival of a new insect predator.

The Asian hornet is a predator of honeybees, and the hot weather is likely to have assisted the insect’s migration to Britain.

St Albans Beekeepers Association has set up an Asian Hornet Action Team to help spot the Asian hornet as a result.

But people across Hertfordshire and London are being asked to look in their gardens and report any sighting of the Asian hornets straight away.

Andrea Goodall, who is part of the group, said: “This insect predator can appear anywhere and they can wipe out a colony of honeybees in a day."

“We are asking people in St Albans and surrounding areas to familiarise themselves with what it looks like and report immediately if they spot one.”

Individually, Asian hornets are not aggressive but are defensive when protecting their nests.

At this time of year, new queen hornets are being produced by hives and will look for somewhere to hibernate.

If you spot one, you should email alertnonnative@ceh.ac.uk, along with a photograph.

The St Albans Beekeepers’ Association has set up a page on its website so the public can correctly identify an Asian hornet, which is sometimes confused with the native European hornet.

www.stalbansbees.org/asian-hornet.html

More information is available from St Albans’ Beekeepers Association’s website www.stalbansbees.org.