Steak and ale could be the perfect weapon in preventing the infamous Asian 'murder hornet' from invading the British Isles, a beekeeper has suggested.
Over the past few years, beekeepers in the Channel Islands have been using government-provided bait to lure the deadly pests out of their nests so they can be removed. But with supplies running low, other alternatives are being looked into, including beef, prawns, and even beer.
Expert Bob Hogge, from St Brelade, Jersey, has been experimenting with a whole range of flavours in the hope of discovering the one that hornets respond to the best.
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Speaking to the Jersey Evening Post about his research, Mr Hogge said: "What I am doing now is looking to the future.
"The government has been supplying us with wasp attractant but, given the crisis and the budget cuts, this probably won't go on forever.
"So I am trialling different attractants from foodstuffs and things you find in the house and hopefully by the end of the summer I will have a good idea about which works best."
And while they've responded fairly well to prawns, it's chunks of beef that they've really been buzzing about.
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Mr Hogge said: "This really got them going - they showed a lot of interest in this."
Previous research into their habits had found that hornets were also partial to beer, particularly dark, hoppy ales. Sadly, they didn't respond too well to either tinned tuna or banana liqueur.
It's not just in the UK where the 'murder hornet' has been causing trouble.
Earlier this year, it was reported that fears over the spread of the infamous giant hornet had led to the unnecessary killing of native bees and wasps in the US.
The dangerous critter is native to Southeast Asia, can grow to two inches long and is capable of wiping out entire colonies of honeybees, and could even kill humans with its large sting.
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Reports in the States claimed that sightings of two hornets had caused panic, with the future of the much-needed honeybee now in the balance.
Speaking to the LA Times, Doug Yanega, senior museum scientist for the Department of Entomology at UC Riverside, said experts in Asia couldn't believe what was happening in the US.
He said: "Millions and millions of innocent native insects are going to die as a result of this.
"Folks in China, Korea and Japan have lived side by side with these hornets for hundreds of years, and it has not caused the collapse of human society there.
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"My colleagues in Japan, China and Korea are just rolling their eyes in disbelief at what kind of snowflakes we are."
Featured Image Credit: ShutterstockTopics: UK News