By Euro Weekly News Media • Published: 17 Jan 2011 • 13:59
A FARMERS association has warned the Valencia regional government it should prepare an action plan against the possible arrival of the Asian giant hornet. They say their arrival would not only destroy tens of thousands of bee hives in the region due to the voracity of the species, but would also affect fruit production due to the decrease in pollination from bees.
The reason for the warning is that the hornet, after five years of reaping havoc in Southern France, was reportedly spotted in northern Spain at the end of last year.
The hornets can devastate a colony of honey bees: a single hornet can kill as many as 40 honey bees per minute thanks to their large mandibles which can quickly strike and decapitate a bee.
It takes only a 30 of these hornets a few hours to slaughter the population of a 30,000-member hive, leaving a trail of severed insect heads and limbs, according to National Geographic.
Picture Credit: Hornetboy1970
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