Huge insect with giant stinger feared to be killer hornet found in family’s garden
A MOTHER has found a huge insect with a giant stinger after it suddenly fell from the sky into her back garden. Samantha Stoneley, 28, was enjoying a break from work outside her home in Hull on Saturday when the massive bug began hovering over her. She was chatting with workmen laying decking in her […]
A MOTHER has found a huge insect with a giant stinger after it suddenly fell from the sky into her back garden.
Samantha Stoneley, 28, was enjoying a break from work outside her home in Hull on Saturday when the massive bug began hovering over her.
She was chatting with workmen laying decking in her garden when the insect approached her.
“All of a sudden this thing came flying over us and we just thought, ‘What the hell is that?’,” she told the Hull Daily Mail.
“I talk about the size of it and people don’t believe how big it was if they weren’t there.”
Ms Stoneley said she fears the insect was an Asian giant hornet – which can kill with a single sting.
“I would hate anyone’s child to get stung by that because it could do some real damage,” she said.
The creature was “much longer” than a cotton bud, according to Ms Stoneley, with a huge stinger.
Just days earlier, a toddler found a similar bug also with distinctive yellow legs nearby in east Hull.
Paul Everingham’s two-year-old son Noah found the hornet in the family’s back garden.
Mr Everingham caught the bug in a plastic tub and then tried to find out what it was.
“I googled it and it says they are trying to take over America. A distinctive feature is they have yellow legs which this definitely has,” he said.
“I’m 99 per cent sure it is a giant Asian killer hornet. It said online that it can kill humans in one shot.”
Asian hornets are invading the UK and could cost the economy millions of pounds, according to a report.
In a study published in the journal NeoBiota in April, French scientists evaluated the estimated cost of this non-native hornet invasion to Europe.
Experts warn the hornets’ environmental destruction could cost the UK up to £7.6million every year.
Most read in News
Asian hornets are similar to European hornets but they are not native to the UK.
They are large insects measuring almost 2in long, originally from Southeast Asia, that prey on small creatures – especially bees.
Just one sting is enough to kill someone allergic to their venom.
What should you do if you spot an Asian giant hornet?
Asian giant hornets were first spotted in the UK in 2016, and their stings can be deadly.
They look similar to European hornets but have darker colouring and yellow legs.
Disturbing an Asian hornet’s nest can be extremely dangerous as up to 700 insects will join attacks on perceived threats.
Don’t run if you see an Asian hornet – they can fly faster than human’s can run and are attracted by moving targets.
Stay low to the ground, do not move and try to cover your head.
Take a photo of the hornet if you can, and send it to the Food and Environment Research Agency.
The cost of eradication on private land will be met by the Animal and Plant Health Agency, who can be contacted through Defra on the Defra Rural Services Helpline on 03000 200 301. The Helpline is open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm. There is an out of hours facility on the same number for reporting suspicion of disease in animals.
You can also email apha.corporatecorrespondence@apha.gsi.gov.uk. In Wales, contact 0300 303 8268.