Asian hornet nest the size of a basketball found in man’s garden in Essex

The nest was taken to a Government lab for testing (Picture: Jam Press/DEFRA)

A man was left shocked after authorities found an Asian hornet nest the size of a basketball at the back of his garden.

David Holborn was alerted to the ‘scary’ discovery at his Essex home after inspectors from the Animal and Plant Health Agency launched an investigation to locate hornets in the area.

The 50cm nest was destroyed and taken to a Government lab for testing.

Mr Holborn told the BBC he had no idea the nest was on his property, despite it likely having being there since the summer.

He said: ‘It was the size of an elongated basketball.

‘It’s quite scary to think it’s been in our garden for probably two months, but there’s been no harm to us.

‘They’ve been keeping themselves to themselves.’

Inspectors also had to leave the nest overnight, forcing Mr Holborn to shut all of his windows as a precaution.

The Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) is a separate species from the Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) which has been found in North Americ a (Picture: Defra)

Scientists now need to work out where the nest originally came from, and if any Asian hornet queens from it had already left it and flown elsewhere before the nest was spotted.

Asian hornets are smaller than native hornets and pose no greater risk to human health than them, according to Defra.

The RSPB says the animal poses a ‘significant threat’ to UK wildlife and adds: ‘The Asian hornet is a non-native species in the UK, as it hails from east Asia and could not arrive in the UK naturally. 

‘The concern around the Asian hornet is that it is a significant predator of bees. In France, it has consumed large numbers of bees, including the well-known European honey bee and many lesser-known solitary and colonial bee species.’

The animals are mostly black except for their fourth abdominal segment which is a yellow band located towards the rear.

It has yellow legs – hence why it is often called the yellow legged hornet – while its face is orange with two brownish red compound eyes.

The public have been told that the animals are not generally aggressive towards humans but can be if they perceive you as a threat to their nest.

The Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) is a separate species from the Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) which has been found in North America.

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