Protecting honey bees: EU urged to fight Asian hornets

Italian members of the European Parliament call on the European Commission to fight against Asian hornets, which are spreading in some EU countries and killing bees. This is reported by The Guardian. Yellow-legged hornets, common in Southeast Asia, were first discovered on the continent two decades ago. They arrived in France and then spread to Spain, Belgium, Holland, Portugal and Italy, where they have been wreaking havoc in the northern regions of the country since their first appearance in 2012. Last year, the UK saw a sharp increase in the number of invasive species. Bees are vital to honey production and maintaining a healthy ecosystem. Eleven MEPs from the right-wing Forza Italia party asked the commission to develop "concrete measures to combat the spread of insects by funding control systems with EU funds". The Asian hornet was a "voracious predator" capable of killing up to 30 bees a day," MEP Salvatore De Meo told Il. The Asian hornet, Vespa velutina, is believed to ...