The States of Guernsey have launched a campaign to capture queen Asian hornets before they form nests.
The invasive species arrives in the Channel Islands from France in the Spring, posing a threat to local biodiversity.
Francis Russell, who coordinates the project, told the BBC that the hornets are “voracious predators”.
He said: “A single insect is a lot easier to deal with than a nest of 10,000 or 12,000 angry worker hornets, which could be 30ft up in a tree.”
Mr Russell said the species was a “significant threat” to local insect populations and biodiversity in the Bailiwick of Guernsey.
One nest full of hornets is capable of consuming around 11kg (24lb) of pollinating insects like bees in a season, he said.
“These hornets are voracious predators, they’re not fussy and they feed on any insect they can get hold of,” Mr Russell said.
The first sighting of an Asian hornet in Guernsey was in 2017 and the following year saw eight nests found and destroyed.
