First sighting of paper wasp in Britain
A wasp usually found in Southern Europe has been sighted in Warwickshire, in what is thought to have been its first appearance in Britain.
Keen photographer Sabina George spotted the Polistes Nimpha paper wasp at Compton Verney Art Gallery and 'knew from the face something was different'.
An expert in pollinators, Steven Falk, confirmed the sighting was indeed a paper wasp, who may have been brought over accidentally in a plant or lorry.
The pair returned to the gallery and discovered more of the wasps, who are also found in West Asia. Paper wasps are slimmer and have longer legs than common wasps found in the UK, but still have the same black and yellow banding.
Mr Falk added there was no evidence it would endanger native species, and that many insects were moving north as Europe becomes warmer.
Electric car charging becomes that much easier as a new scheme gets off the ground
The headache that once was charging your electric car is soon to be put to an end, thanks to a new scheme.
Nine of the main operators of Britain’s 20,000 electric charging points have clubbed together to allow drivers to pay for their electricity with a single account. Allego, EV Box, New Motion, Chargemap, Charge Point, Charge4europe, Engenie, Franklin Energy and Travelcard have joined the consortium — though not without a little pressure. The government had threatened to enforce a similar scheme if one wasn’t set up voluntarily.
‘This is a strong signal that we are moving away from confusing payments involving multiple smartphone apps and membership cards, and driving in the right direction; towards electric travel being the new normal,’ said transport secretary Grant Shapps.
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