Anyone found Asian Hornet queens in wasp traps this spring?

[Spanglebee]

Just wondering if anyone has trapped any Asian hornet queens which may have overwintered from the nest sites found last summer! ( tetbury & Somerset I think?)

 

[Heather]

No, but, as a safety net, have one of the new hornet trap adapted floors ready for each out apiary. Hopefully Sussex is safe but wasps last year were a real pain. Lost a colony to them. Disposed of 5 queens this year already (sorry, wasp lovers).

 

[Quis Custodiet]

Asian hornets in Somerset? I thought that was supposed to be "fake news".

 

[For want of a better word]

Asian hornets in Somerset? I thought that was supposed to be "fake news".

When every bee inspector and SBI from the South and South West of England is called in to survey after a sighting of the Asian Hornet and remarkably found and destroyed a nest... I don't think that mocking this as "fake news" and making it out to be something of a laughing matter is very useful to say the least!

Yeghes da

 

[Plenty of honey]

Its still a little early. They only just start to fly around now! Ive been around my apiaries in France this week and not seen a single one, but they will be there!

 

[charlievictorbravo]

My NBU Hornet Monitoring Trap (the one with the mesh floor above the bait) is hanging outside the house - haven't caught a thing yet and hope I don't get an Asian Hornet.

My bait is a mixture of a dark bitter beer, Ribena and some red wine (not much) but my lack of success at catching anything does not speak volumes for the recipe!

CVB

 

[Quis Custodiet]

When every bee inspector and SBI from the South and South West of England is called in to survey after a sighting of the Asian Hornet and remarkably found and destroyed a nest... I don't think that mocking this as "fake news" and making it out to be something of a laughing matter is very useful to say the least!

Yeghes da

I am aware that an Asian hornet nest was found and destroyed in Tetbury Gloucestershire. Soon after there was a report of another nest being found in the Somerset area. This latter report originated from the NBU, who confirmed it as being accurate and then a day or two later it was apparently not so accurate. My understanding is, there were no Asian hornets found at any time in that area.
Thank you for taking the trouble to reply.

 

[For want of a better word]

I am aware that an Asian hornet nest was found and destroyed in Tetbury Gloucestershire. Soon after there was a report of another nest being found in the Somerset area. This latter report originated from the NBU, who confirmed it as being accurate and then a day or two later it was apparently not so accurate. My understanding is, there were no Asian hornets found at any time in that area.
Thank you for taking the trouble to reply.

You can be assured that any sighting of an Asian Hornet in England will be reported very quickly on this forum.
100s of beekeepers are now very well informed by Defra and recently in Newlyn here in Cornwall our BKAs had a incredibly well attended day dedicated to identification and trapping the Asian hornet.... over to CVB who attended

Yeghes da

 

[dpearce4]

No, but, as a safety net, have one of the new hornet trap adapted floors ready for each out apiary. Hopefully Sussex is safe but wasps last year were a real pain. Lost a colony to them. Disposed of 5 queens this year already (sorry, wasp lovers).

Dont worry about the wasp queens.

I have had to spray 10+ that have ended up flying round my lounge after I brought them in with my logs this winter, better that than my daughter getting stung by one.

I saw an apiary near one of mine run by a commercial beek that was wiped out by wasps 2 years ago, 10 hives killed in the space of 2 weeks, I didn't know wasps could be that bad until then.

I don't know why but I never seem to see them in my sites not sure what I do differently to the other person?

 

[Stiffy]

I have checked the local record centre and don't believe European hornets have been recorded recently in west Cornwall, so a sighting of anything resembling one close to my hives will be suspect!

S

 

[Curley]

My understanding is, there were no Asian hornets found at any time in that area.
Thank you for taking the trouble to reply.

Hi Quis - An individual asian hornet was found in Somerset. No nest was identified. The hornet were found and killed but not reported for some time until the hoohah at Tetbury.

 

[Quis Custodiet]

Hi Quis - An individual asian hornet was found in Somerset. No nest was identified. The hornet were found and killed but not reported for some time until the hoohah at Tetbury.

Thank you for the clarification. It is a curious situation, why was it not reported at the time and was the insect confirmed to be an Asian hornet, either when found or did someone keep it in a matchbox until later?
The above is very academic now and in the coming weeks and months we shall learn whether the pest is established here or not. Let us hope for the best.

 

[Heather]

I don't know why but I never seem to see them in my sites not sure what I do differently to the other person?

Lost a colony to them last year.. reduced entrance to 1" then fully blocked. Within 30 secs about 50 wasps on the front.
Have bought an apishield hornet trap floor for each apiary this year

 

[Nige.Coll]

Asian hornets in Somerset? I thought that was supposed to be "fake news".

At the tradex the gentleman giving the talk about asian hornets said that hornet had been in a trap for months, it was identified as asian hornet but due to no other sightings was thought to be a queen. It had rotted away a lot.

 

[Quis Custodiet]

At the tradex the gentleman giving the talk about asian hornets said that hornet had been in a trap for months, it was identified as asian hornet but due to no other sightings was thought to be a queen. It had rotted away a lot.

Thank you, that makes sense. UK beekeepers will be very fortunate, if the pest has not become established already. There is a high degree of awareness now among beekeepers, it is likely that the presence of Asian hornets would be noticed very quickly.

 

[madasafish]

Thank you for the clarification. It is a curious situation, why was it not reported at the time and was the insect confirmed to be an Asian hornet, either when found or did someone keep it in a matchbox until later?
The above is very academic now and in the coming weeks and months we shall learn whether the pest is established here or not. Let us hope for the best.

I understand from BI who gave our Association a talk on Asian Hornets March 2017 that the Somerset Hornet was found before the Tetbury one, was not identified positively but was kept. When Tetbury kicked off, the keeper sent it to the BI -- quite badly decomposed so analysis was futile.

 

[For want of a better word]

There was a rumor that an Asian Hornet queen was found in Falmouth Dockyard last year, possibly from a shipment of goods that came in from China?

I send my read copies of the various beekeeping journals to an old neighbor who has moved back to run the family farm in Baltimore.... he says when it ( The ASIAN HORNET) arrives in Eire it will sadly decimate the Irish beekeepers colonies if something is not done now to prevent it getting in...... not really mentioned or known about....

If the pest is allowed to spread as rapidly as the Tree Bumble I fear for the bees

Nos da

 

[peteinwilts]

We had a talk on the subject at the local BFA meet, and had some first hand reports on the subject, as well as a talk from someone who has studied their behavior in France.

If I recall (?) the somerset hornet was already dead when found, and was believed to have travelled home in luggage from france.

The genes were weak and related to the french hornets in both the somerset and gloucestershire hornets..

A number of my hives are sat around the tetbury area, and will be making a few Hornet traps and setting them up at the weekend. The bait at this time of year will be Apple Juice.

The opening is important, and on several commercial traps, hornets may be reluctant to enter due to the width of the opening. However, widening the opening may also catch european hornets. Unless in the target area, recommendations on the beebase website should be stuck to.

It was also suggested, this year will be the last year DEFRA will fund search and destroy. 'if' they are here, and are still here next year, their attitude is likely to change.

 

[Plenty of honey]

I send my read copies of the various beekeeping journals to an old neighbor who has moved back to run the family farm in Baltimore.... he says when it ( The ASIAN HORNET) arrives in Eire it will sadly decimate the Irish beekeepers colonies if something is not done now to prevent it getting in...... not really mentioned or known about....
Nos da

I really dont think this will be the case. Even if it did get established, here, on the whole, the nests are no way as big as you see in mid to southern France , for the geographical reason. you need heat, real early heat. Just ask Mark, Madamazda gets in Portugal, he deals with them constantly, in high numbers.

Peteinwilts

Quote
"A number of my hives are sat around the tetbury area, and will be making a few Hornet traps and setting them up at the weekend. The bait at this time of year will be Apple Juice."
You might as well tip it away now, you need the combination of malty beer, white wine for the grape and Blackcurrant cordial.
This is a tried and tested formula. i really wouldn't waste your time with anything else.

 

[Stiffy]

Just like the plague of beetles we were due to get last year, if and when the hornets arrive, it will be a nuisance but from what I have read is reasonably easy to deal with.
S