More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
An unconfirmed Asian hornet has been caught in Kent.
Mum-of-two Jessica was in a bedroom at her Springhead Park top-floor flat in Northfleet, Gravesend, when the alleged rare insect flew on to the window sill.
Jessica said: "I was standing in my bedroom when I suddenly heard a hard slap noise on the window sill and then a loud buzz.
"I looked down and there was a huge, what I thought was a wasp, sitting there.
"It was terrifying. I ran screaming to my partner, Paul, before I locked me and the children away from it.
"He didn’t believe me and went in there only to find himself in a situation where he had no choice but to get rid of it.
"When Paul went in there the thing flew towards him with a loud buzz.
"He hit it will a rolled up towel but even after hitting it the hornet got back up and was flying towards him as if it was trying to sting him.
"It took four hits before the hornet finally gave up. We put it in a glass.
"While it was in the glass we looked it up to see what it was and it’s the exact image and size of an Asian hornet – the ones recently on the news.
"The hornet was easily 5cm long uncurled.
"My neighbour spoke to me this morning and said she had one in her kitchen too - these are very rare so I thought I would put the word out there to warn other people."
Despite the prolonged attack the insect survived the encounter with Paul and was released into the wild.
The Gravesend incident follows on from a confirmed Asian hornet sighting in Ashford.
The venomous species, which is native to large swathes of south east Asia, was first identified in the UK in 2016. Since then, there has been 16 confirmed sightings and seven nests have been destroyed.
They are usually about 4.5 cm (1.8 ins) long but can grow to 5.5 cm (2.2 ins).
A hornet poses a major threat to pollinators and is a particularly concerning sight in Kent as many of the country's rarest bumblebees are found here.
According to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, there have been reports of Asian hornets becoming aggressive in other countries if their nests are disturbed.
The government is warning people not to remove nests as this should only be done by experts.
