A key figure in the Cumbrian beekeeping community has issued a plea to the public to play their part in the fight against an invasive insect now in the UK.

Andy Brown, a beekeeper and the Asian Hornet Coordinator for Cumbria, who is based in Crook, has stated that the UK can 'beat' the Yellow Legged Asian Hornet invasion if everybody is simply 'aware' of it.

The hornet, known in Latin as Vespa Velutina, is originally from areas in and around south China and Vietnam.

Comparing the European Hornet and the Asian Hornet side-by-side. The European Hornet is not as bigger threat to nature as the Asian one(Image: Crown copyright, courtesy of J Hoggard)

However, in recent years, the dangerous invader has made its way west in transported vegetables and pots amongst other item, and landed on European shores, including the mainland of the UK.

The species poses a real threat to our natural pollinators because of its ability to wipe them out completely, he said.

Explaining why the Asian Hornet is such a threat, and why people need to take note, Mr Brown said: "This is going to go way beyond us losing our pollinators, it's [about the potential for losing] a third of our crops."

Andy Brown, a beekeeper and the Asian Hornet Coordinator for Cumbria(Image: Tom Cockburn)

Furthermore, he highlighted: "There's no doubt this thing is a violent danger. It's killed quite a few people in France and Spain."

Mr Brown expanded on the hornet's danger to natural pollinators by pointing out that the knock-on effect of losing these key players in our wildlife has huge ramifications for our natural landscapes in general.

"If you want any sort of countryside out there at all for you to go wandering in, with birds and beers flying around and things like that, including beautiful flowering plants, we've all got to be invested in doing something about this," he said.

There are currently 112 known Yellow Legged Asian Hornet nests in Kent alone as of last week - the county having a particularly bad problem with the insect of late.

A Yellow Legged Asian Hornet nest(Image: Pixabay)

However, although nests and sightings are predominantly in the south east currently, there have been sightings as far north as Runcorn and Preston.

As a result, Mr Brown is now urging Cumbria's general public to get involved to fight back against the hornet by simply downloading an app on their phone.

The Beekeepers Association has said that the app, Asian Hornet Watch, which is available to download on both Apple and Android devices, is the best way to report potential sightings.

Another useful, similar online service people can use is the AHA Catch system.

By reporting potential sightings on these apps, this enables the authorities to 'stay on top of it,' noted Mr Brown.

Finally, for people who might be interested in getting involved in the initiative or simply finding out more about the subject, Mr Brown said: "The best thing in Cumbria is to get hold of me.