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We need a warm February to kill them off. If they come out of hibernation in February when there's little in the way of naturally available carbohydrate sources they'll starve and die. Harsh winters keep vespines in hibernation until March/April when nectar starts to flow which is the go to food...

Given that the authorities are scaling down direct nest eradication you'd think they might approve use of FC. I wouldn't get too despondent. There are very few naturally occuring concentrated food sources in the UK which makes hives excellent sentinel locations for monitoring velutina. I very...

Efficiency of traps is integral to the successful protection of hives. The advice given was generic simply aimed at helping beekeepers understand the dangers of low efficiency traps which tend to be ones that are home made. It's a conversation for a different thread and adds nothing to this...

I think you'll find it hard to find a single post on the forum where I have ever made such a recommendation. You are also being disingenuous by conflating integrated wasp management of nuisance sweet feeding wasps with managing velutina. They are two completely distinct problems and two...

No they are not. Vespines are not easy prey for velutina. Velutina queens will not risk attacking vespines in spring unless threatened themselves for fear of them losing the exchange because if they die so does their species. It's only later that worker velutina will hunt vespines but their...

What's illogical is your analogy to human warfare which bares no resemblance to managing velutina incursions. No it is not. It is to monitor and respond accordingly. The NBU respond to credible sightings whether or not there's a nest. If your fears were true, we would have seen reports of...

Tosh! The only time that Jadeprobe is selective is when indigenous vespines have already been wiped out. Aperture size wise the trap might intend to preferentially retain velutina and intend to preferentially release indigenous vespines but in practice that just isn't the case. Why? Because...

Sorry but that is simply plain rubbish. Monitoring of bait stations can be just as occasional as trapping but without the collateral damage. You just need a robust durable bait station.

Should we call you Fiankinstein? Do we take it that you were spring trapping last year?

Sorry but wrong on both counts. Temperature wise July was below average and August was about average. These are the two most important months for velutina in the UK calendar. 2022 was far hotter with only a fraction of the number of velutina nests which runs contrary to your assertion. Strong...

And you have it on authority that the nests matured and released their sexual gynes? FYI the summer in the UK was largely below average temperature wise (and nearly 10°C cooler than 2022) during the months that matter for velutina. Yes we had a slightly warmer September but not enough to...

So that we are clear. You are advocating wholesale spring trapping across the whole of southern England?

Which would have been the correct 'official' response.

It's not about being brave. It's about taking the best course of action to protect the UK from infestation. The present advice is not to spring trap but to monitor, report and let the NBU do its work. Why is that so difficult to adhere to? It's not helpful to be alarmist if that results in...

Back to your sensationalist scaremongering rubbish. Sustained growth over the years? What utter garbage. The life cycle of a nest in the UK will only ever span 10 months at most. Size of nests is limited to resource which is constrained by competion for prey. Ticking time bomb because it's on...

You have a confirmed established infestation in your neck of the woods do you? The same as Normandy? Where's your bocage hedgerows or similar ecological habitat? You may have similar climate but you are worlds apart ecologically. Let the NBU do its work. If it becomes overwhelmed then you'll...

Perhaps you should read up on storm Noa. 12th April 2023. Strongest winds for that time of year for 50 years. Kinda knocks your statement on no meteorological anomalies into a cocked hat!

As politically correct as the Spanish inquisition......what a shameful and ignorant comment to make.

Without rigor? So, what should be taken away from the paper you cited is: Up until 2019 there was no evidence of UK propagation (which still remains the case pending NBU confirmation). That velutina requires a protein rich diet (hence the reason to protect native vespine populations to...

And your point is ????