Doncaster model and TV star's family left trapped in house by giant hornet

Elena Tsikkini, husband Kyriacos and their two young children had just returned from holiday when they found the giant insect buzzing and repeatedly bashing against a window outside their Hatfield home.

Sightings of the huge hornets are on the increase across the UK – and widlife experts fear the invasive species is putting the UK’s bee population under threat.

People are being urged to report sightings of the hornets – whose stings can prove deadly – so scientists can build up a picture of the number and location of the insects across Britain.

Elena, who first came to prominence after winning Miss British Beauty Curve, a glamour contest for plus sized models ten years ago and who has appeared on TV’s Take Me Out, quiz show Catchphrase and Coach Trip, slammed doors and windows shut after spotting the insect – some of which can grow up to more than 5.5cm.

She said: “It was banging against the glass door – it was massive, like a whole face.”

"I didn’t want to step foot outside - I shut all the windows. Crazy.”

"It was there for a good half an hour to 45 minutes and it was about two inches in size.

“I reported it as they can be deadly.”

Elena, who is also CEO of consultancy experts TSK Business Services and director of Harry’s Fish Bar and Restaurant in Dunsville, had just returned from a family holiday in Cyprus when they spotted the would be invader.

It is thought the insect was a European hornet, and not the more dangerous Asian variety.

In recent years, there have been record sightings of Asian hornets in the UK, raising fears of catastrophic consequences for the UK's bee populations for years to come.

The invasive hornets are wreaking havoc in mainland Europe and threaten to get a foothold in the UK, with nests already found in East Sussex, Kent, Devon and Dorset.

The insects feed on native bees and wasps, damaging biodiversity.

This is the time of the year when you are most likely to spot an Asian hornet, perhaps in your garden feeding on fruit, says bee inspector, Peter Davies.

"Please take a picture, go on the Asian hornet app, have a look - compare it and please report it," he said.

The Department for the Environment says the Asian hornet poses no greater risk to human health than other wasps or hornets but can cause damage to honey bee colonies and other beneficial insects.

The public is being urged to be extra vigilant and to report any sightings immediately.

It is important to take care not to approach or disturb a nest.

"By ensuring we are alerted to possible sightings as early as possible, we can take swift and effective action to stamp out the threat posed by Asian hornets," said chief plant and bee health officer Nicola Spence.

There have been 22 confirmed sightings of the Asian hornet so far in 2023 - more than the previous six years combined. This compares to just two confirmed sightings of Asian hornets last year, two in 2021 and one in 2020.

Asian hornets are native to Southeast Asia but can be transported around the world in cargo. They are widespread in mainland Europe and can be blown across the Channel.

"We are transporting all sorts of plants and animals - fungi even - outside of their native ranges to places where the local environment has not evolved along with them, so they cause many threats to food security, to our native animals and plants," says Dr Gavin Broad of the Natural History Museum in London.