Farmers are being warned to stay vigilant for Asian hornets after a man suffered multiple stings when he disturbed a nest in St Martin.
The farmer was cutting through dense undergrowth on his tractor when he destroyed a ground-level nest, causing the swarm to attack.
He was stung more than 10 times on his head but thanks to taking ‘swift action’ to reverse, was otherwise fine.
Local beekeeper and member of the Jersey Asian hornet group, John de Carteret, said they found the nest ‘virtually destroyed’.
‘These insects will react extremely aggressively to the slightest disturbance to their nests, even if that is just pulling a blackberry off a tendril metres from the actual nest,’ he said.
‘Through the branchage program, we have advised that anyone involved in this sort of activity should take a few moments to look along the hedge line first. Especially with the record-breaking numbers of nests being found this year.
‘Please be vigilant and take a few minutes to step back and look out for any larger black insects.’
