Firefighters deploy a crane after an Asian nest found in a tree

The nest is the largest to be found in Guernsey as wild species threaten to take hold

A giant Asian hornet’s nest had to be removed with the help of firefighters and a 104-foot crane after it was spotted at the top of a tree.

The deadly building is the largest ever found in Guernsey as invasive species threaten to take hold.

But the Asian Hornet Team’s crack team managed to track the deadly insects back to their nest in a large oak tree using strategically placed bait stations.

The Fire and Rescue Service then installed a large spiral ladder, which can rise up to 32 meters above ground level – more than seven times the height of a double-decker bus.

The entire road had to be closed to traffic and pedestrians because it was close to a set of beach resorts near La Vallette – close to the capital Saint Peter Port.

Francis Russell, Hornet Asia Strategy Coordinator, said: ‘We are very grateful for the professional support we have received from GFRS and Public Safety.

The Fire and Rescue Service deployed their giant spiral ladder, which can rise up to 32 meters above ground level – more than seven times the height of a double-decker bus.

The deadly building is the largest ever found in Guernsey as invasive species threaten to take hold

‘Without their help and expertise, we would not have been able to access the cabin to remove it safely.’

The group found nine nests and removed five last month.

WHAT IS THE KILLING CHARACTER OF THE ASIAN HORNET?

Asian hornets were accidentally introduced to France in 2004, possibly in export shipments.

Since then the brown and orange insects spread rapidly throughout the country and began to invade neighboring countries.

They were established in the Channel Islands and were first reported in the UK in 2016.

The hornets, which grow up to 3 centimeters long and have an orange face, are fierce enemies of honey bees and other pollinating insects.

Hornets attack bees, hovering like attack helicopters outside their hives and catching them on the wing.

The bees are dissected before being taken back to the hornets’ nest to feed the larvae.

The charity Plantlife has warned that the hornet ‘poses a deadly danger to bees and other pollinators and any sightings should be reported immediately to the GB Non-native Species Secretariat.’

Queens build nests in April. They quickly start laying eggs until the number of birds reaches 6,000 insects.

A report by the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, estimates that the global decline of bees poses a major risk to the world’s food supply.

British bees are thought to have fallen by a third since 2007. The British Beekeepers Association is warning the public not to disturb hornets’ nests ‘under any circumstances’.

Plans are now underway to remove the remaining few – but they are made more difficult by their locations.

The island is now in a race against time as it is threatened with overrun by invasive species.

Mr Russell continued: ‘As autumn approaches, the race will clear all the Asian nests across the island.

‘If the nests remain in place and are not considered urgent, the production of a new generation of queens will be initiated, with a second large nest capable of producing as many as 300-500 queens.

‘These then sleep on the island during the winter and cause more problems the following year.’

The aggressive predator is a major threat to Britain’s biodiversity – as 30 per cent of its diet is made up of honey bees.

This means that alien species threaten to harm pollinators and beekeeping operations.

The insects have a distinct velvety black or dark brown in the middle while the abdominal segments are banded with yellow circles and the last segment is almost completely yellow.

Hornets can kill with a single sting between unrelated individuals while also posing a threat to the environment and species.

The species can be more aggressive than native insects.

In late August Asian hornets were spotted for the first time in London and there have been 46 worrying sightings since 2016 with half of these coming this year alone, according to figures from the Department for Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Just this week a monstrous Asian nest measuring about 15 inches was found in Jersey.

It is the biggest ever found on the ‘UK front line’ and has issued a new warning to the public.

It was hanging from the ceiling of a derelict house in St Brelades on the Channel Island and was destroyed on 14 August.

The insect is thought to have washed ashore in the UK in 2016 in Tetby, Gloucestershire.

Since then there have been sightings in Somerset, Devon, Lancashire, Cornwall, Yorkshire, Hampshire, Surrey, Kent, Staffordshire, Dorset, Berkshire, Essex, Suffolk, Northumberland, and East Sussex.

They prey on bees and therefore pose a major threat to the bee population in the UK.

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