How to spot Asian hornet after Brit thought he caught huge creature in garden but let it go

The sun is finally shining, which means most people have their windows wide open to welcome a nice breeze inside - but unfortunately, a lot of insects think this invite is extended to them too.

Midges, moths and other flying creatures are constantly barging into our homes throughout the summer months, forcing us to frantically swat the air to usher them back outside where they belong.

Although those lot may be annoying, they're mostly harmless - whereas Asian hornets, on the other hand, can potentially be very harmful to humans.

Their sting hurts 'a lot more' than a regular hornet's, according to health and wellness expert Jay Riggs from Zeal CBD, and the toxicity it emits is also greater than a lot of its peers.

This causes the site of the sting to swell up a lot and in very rare cases, this injury can lead to symptoms such as difficulty breathing or hives.

Discussing the feeling of it, Riggs said: "Similar to being stabbed by a red-hot needle. Where the needle punctures the skin, it can swell severely and ache for a few days."

So imagine the look on this bloke's face when he found what he believes to be an Asian hornet buzzing around his living room first thing in the morning.

A TikTok user with the username @midlifecrisis101x shared a clip showing how he and his wife had captured one of the fearsome insects inside a pint pot, which made for quite an 'interesting' start to their day.

He explained: "We got up and this was in the living room! My dog was about to eat it.

"It's enormous. You can see its face, it's huge! It's in a pint glass to give you an idea of the size of this," the Brit continued. "This is absolutely huge. Now, we're going to let this go.

"We've got to run away when we let it go. That thing's ginormous. I don't really want to let it out - I've got to let it out."

Freeing it might not have been advisable, but what are you supposed to do at such short notice?

Social media users were left stunned by the sheer size of the Asian hornet, although some questioned whether the man may be mistaken and suggested it could be a UK native or a European hornet.

But whatever it's true identity, amid the record number of sightings of the critters here last year, it begs the question - what on earth are you supposed to do if you cross paths with one of them?

Well, the UK's Chief Plant Health Officer has urged Brits to be more vigilant about the presence of Asian hornets and wants people to report any sightings as soon as they can.

Professor Nicola Spence explained that although the TikToker may have struggled to confirm it's identity, you can usually tell it's an Asian hornet because of their very dark bodies.

As well as this, they have a 'wide orange stripe on the fourth abdomen section and yellow leg ends', which make it appear as though the insect might have dipped its little legs in yellow paint.

They are also slightly larger than normal wasps and measure between 20-24mm - but whipping out a ruler isn't exactly an option when you've got one of these things buzzing about your house.

Spence warned that those in southern parts of England and Wales and around major ports need to be even more vigilant, as Asian hornets have been flocking there.

Brits should report any suspected sightings using the app ‘Asian Hornet Watch’, by filling out the online report form or by emailing [email protected] - ideally, with a photograph, if it is safe to snap one.

Spence added: "By ensuring we are alerted to possible sightings as early as possible, the public can help us take swift and effective action to stamp out the threat posed by Asian hornets.

"While the Asian hornet poses no greater risk to human health than other wasps or hornets, they can damage honey bee colonies and harm other pollinators."