A nest of the Asian hornet has been discovered in a pavement cafe. This is the first sighting of this species in the UK. The invasive species was spotted at Krusties Cafe on the A260 near Canterbury, Kent, earlier last week.

Cafe owner Paul Jeffries, 56, alerted the relevant authorities, who have since visited the site. It is believed that this is the “youngest” nest that experts have seen in the UK and was built by a hornet queen.

Paul, from Deal, Kent, said: “(The expert) was just smiling with joy. They were so excited because they had never seen such a young nest before.

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“It was a great honour to be the first in the UK. The scientists were like kids in a candy shop, they had never seen one before.”

Paul noticed the nest last week and reported it immediately, having heard about the increase in Asian hornets. He initially hired professional pest controllers to remove the nest for a fee of £150.

However, the Animal and Plant Health Authority has since removed it free of charge. He said: “Most people would just think of smashing it with a baseball bat, but I didn’t want to take that risk.”

“I can’t risk anyone getting hurt, especially my customers. I’m just trying to do my part for the community.”

Anyone who spots one of these stinging insects is asked to report it via the Asian Hornet app, which Paul used. The insects can be identified by their dark brown or black velvety body, a dark abdomen and yellow leg tips.

They are predators of pollinators and garden-friendly bees in the UK and if allowed to proliferate they could have a disastrous impact on gardens and agriculture.

Urgent warning about the Asian hornet

UK Plant Health Officer Professor Nicola Spence issued a stark warning this week, urging the public and beekeepers to remain vigilant and report any suspicious sightings as we move into the summer months.

Last year, the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit responded to every reported credible sighting, locating and destroying 72 nests at 56 sites, with the majority of nests found in Kent.

Sue Knights, Asian hornet coordinator at the Kent Beekeeping Association, said: “The Asian hornet is an invasive species. It has migrated across the Channel from France and is causing problems with pollination and honey harvesting.”

“This year we are focusing on finding queens so they can be destroyed and hopefully they don’t build new nests this year. If they build new nests this year, our job is to find them and eradicate them.”

Experts believe that the queens have hibernated over the winter but will become more active when the weather gets warmer.

Ms Knights added: “When the temperature is between 12 and 14 degrees for at least three days, the queens wake up from hibernation. They then build what is known as a primary nest, which is very similar to that of a wasp.”

“It’s about the size of a tennis ball and is usually found in very sheltered places, like inside shed roofs, porches and the like. Then the queen builds up the workforce and when she finally has enough workforce, they build what’s called a secondary nest. These can be up to a meter wide.”