Killer hornets from China on their way to Britain this summer

The Government is warning Britons about a swarm of killer hornets from China that are a threat to the UK's fragile honey bee population.

The deadly bees can eat up to 50 honey bees a day and are capable of wiping out their bee hives.

Now, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is drafting plans to combat the threat of the Asian hornet, International Business Times reports.

The insects have already spread as far as France, where six people died from anaphylactic shock after being stung.

Ministers fear the deadly insects could cross the channel from Europe this summer and warm weather in southern parts of the UK could provide the conditions they need to survive.

In a House of Commons report last month, ministers drafted "rapid response" plans and "contingency plans for the arrival of the Asian hornet" in Britain.

The Daily Mail reports that people have been warned not to approach their nests but to contact authorities. Exterminators will then destroy the nests with chemicals or by burning them.

Last September it was reported that their arrival in Britain was predicted by Franck Muller of the Museum of National History in Paris back in February 2011, when he told the Daily Telegraph they would cross into Britain within "three to four years".

The deadly hornets are just one of hundreds of alien species invading the UK. In April, we reported on the threats non-native species pose to our native plants and wildlife.

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