Title : Giant killer hornet believed to be a new species and the largest in the world
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Giant killer hornet believed to be a new species and the largest in the world
Giant killer hornet believed to be a new species and the largest in the world has been discovered in southern China
- The new 'giant' wasps have body lengths a third longer than the largest hornet
- They have a wing span that is half an inch wider than that previously recorded
- An insect expert found them after being shown a 'mega hive' photo by locals
- The hornet is 'so much larger' that experts think it must be a new species
A 'giant' hornet has been discovered on the border between China and Myanmar that experts say is from a new speices.
Experts from the Huaxi Insect Museum in Chengdu city, south China, say the find represents the largest Asian giant hornet found to date.
The discovery was made on an expedition to Yunnan in southern China, where locals led an insect specialist to a giant hive.
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A 'giant' hornet has been discovered on the border between China and Myanmar that experts say is from a new speices. Experts from the Huaxi Insect Museum in Chengdu city, south China, say the find represents the largest Asian giant hornet found to date
The Asian giant hornet is a wasp that is native to forests and mountains in temperate and tropical environments in East Asia.
The newly found hornets have an body length measuring up to 2.4inches (6cm) and a wing span of 3.5inches (9.35cm), making them a significantly larger population than the largest recorded.
Asian killer hornets grow up to two inches long (45mm) and have a three-inch wingspan (75mm), are an aggressive predator of honey bees and other pollinating insects.
Mr Zhao Li was on an expedition to the city of Pu'er in Yunnan province and was astounded by the 'mega hive' he was shown in a photo on a local's mobile phone.
The hive had a diameter seemingly greater than 79inches (2m), and the man in the photo could only wrap his arm two-thirds of the way round it, something which Mr Zhao says was enough to pique his curiosity.
But Mr Zhao was not able to identify the same population until he searched 'far and wide', eventually finding the hive in a local market, where fresh honey was being sold.
Eventually following the seller he was able to trace the wasps to the border with Myanmar.
After studying hundreds of samples from the hives, the scientists concluded that the new wasp population were indeed larger than all those that had previously been studied.
The newly found 'mega' Giant hornet (pictured) have an body length measuring up to 2.4inches (6cm) and a wing span of 3.5inches (9.35cm), making them a significantly larger than the largest ever recorded
Asian killer hornets grow up to two inches long (45mm) and have a three-inch wingspan (75mm), are an aggressive predator of honey bees and other pollinating insects.
But as an immigrant species in Europe, the hornets have caused a lot of concern for local agriculture.
They prey on honeybees, hovering like attack helicopters outside their hives and grabbing them on the wing.
Dr Gavin Gavin Broad, a wasp expert at the Natural History Museum in London previously explained why British beekeepers in are so worried about the Asian hornet.
Mr Zhao Li was on an expedition to the city of Pu'er in Yunnan province, south China when he was astounded by the 'mega hive' a local showed him on his mobile phone
He said: 'The non-native Asian or yellow-legged hornet is an invasive species in Britain as their spread could negatively affect the wildlife already living here.
'The issue is that they eat honeybees. They are specialised honeybee predators and beekeepers are concerned.
'The hornets raid honeybee hives by sitting outside them and capturing workers as they go in and out. They chop them up and feed the thorax to their young.'
The 'Asian hornet', scientific name Vespa velutina, is an invasive non-native species from Asia that arrived in France in 2014, and has since been spreading rapidly in Europe, threatening local bee species and agriculture as they prey on honey bees
Mr Zhao Li from the Chengdu Xihua Insect Museum was in the city of Pu'er in Yunnan province in south China when he was shown a picture of a 'mega hive'. To hunt the same population of hornets down, Mr Li said he had to search 'far and wide', eventually finding it in a local market
The photo of the hive that astounded the insect expert had a diameter greater than 79inches (2m), and the man (pictured) in the could only wrap his arm two-thirds of the way round it
After taking hundreds of samples from the hives discovered, the scientists concluded that the new wasp population were indeed larger than all those that had previously been studied
An immigrant species in Europe, however, the hornets caused a lot of concern for local farmers and bee growers. They prey on honeybees, hovering like attack helicopters outside their hives and grabbing them on the wing
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