Britons are being warned about an Asian hornet invasion, which has now been detected in London for the first time.
Sightings in the UK have fueled fears that they will spread this summer.
On Saturday evening, beekeeper Joel Soo discovered the lethal insect in his Thamesmead house.
The 43-year-old was picking honey when he noticed an Asian hornet and managed to capture it in a jar.
It comes after ten persons in Jersey’s crown dependency were stung by “killer” hornets but all survived.
Meanwhile, at least five individuals have died in France as a result of stings, with more victims in other European nations.
The venom of hornets can cause anaphylactic shock, which can end in death within minutes of being attacked if not treated.
According to figures from Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), there have been 46 sightings of Asian hornets since 2016 – with half of those coming this year alone.
“It was a bit of a shock when I first saw it,” Soo told the Evening Standard.
“The next morning I went out to my beehives again thinking okay, it’s probably just a one-off, and that’s when I saw another two or three more flying around the hives.”
The beekeeper, of four years, alerted the Animal and Plant Health Agency and a team discovered a nest in a tree near his home on Monday.