Hornets were first spotted on British land last month. Since then, officials have deemed the species a "killer insect," as they pose a threat to the world's declining bee population. Now, a pumpkin-sized hornet nest has been discovered on top of a tree.

The nest was found close to where the insects were first spotted - on top of a 55ft conifer tree in Tetbury, Gloucestershire. Concerns have been raised because although hornets cause no harm to human beings, they threaten the honeybee population of the United Kingdom. The government council, including the National Bee Unit, has initiated a drastic action to locate and destroy hornet nests.

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The Deputy Director for Plant and Bee Health of the British Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Nicola Spence, said that they have been anticipating the arrival of the Asian Hornet for several years now. She told Independent UK that "[We] are implementing our well-established protocol to eradicate them and control their spread."

The Asian Hornet was first introduced in France back in 2005, after being accidentally included in a shipment of pottery from China. Now it is common across Europe and was spotted for the first time in Britain in September. The predators feed on insects, especially bees, and invade their hives to gather honey bee larvae to feed to their young.

Although it is believed that hornets will not be able to survive north of the UK for long due to the cold climate, the National Bee Unit will still be examining the genetics of the captured bees just to be sure.

At the time of writing, there had been no further sightings of other Hornet nests in the area.