Asian Hornet Christchurch Hampshire

[isc26]

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/...ign=govuk-notifications&utm_content=immediate

 

[isc26]

In fact Dorset!

 

[Newbeeneil]

Very close to the New Milton sighting in July?

 

[Vortex]

I believe the East Dorset Beekeepers Facebook page has up to date information (the rest is being censored by the NBU)

 

[Erichalfbee]

And there are reports that the hornets they have marked to track have flown off in different directions so that although one nest has been located there may be another

 

[Codford]

Anyone know what bait was used?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Anyone know what bait was used?

Suterra I think but prawns were mentioned somewhere
The picture of the two marked hornets shows them sitting on leaves floating in a liquid so that might be Suterra

 

[Beefriendly]

 

[Millet]

 

[pargyle]

When you are in the front line, like we are down here ... it's something we take quite seriously ... it didn't take Varroa long to get across the whole country once it got established in the West Country. Best hope is that beekeepers on the South Coast (and I'm not suggesting that there will be no other entry points) keep a very watchful eye out for the beggars.

 

[Dodge]

Most interesting contention on the Dorset FB page was that the Asian Hornets love Ivy as it gives them a source of Nectar and as so many insects Re visiting the Ivy a steady stream of protein too.

 

[Karol]

This behaviour also indicates that they are struggling though. VV is forced to come to ivy because it cannot generate enough carbohydrates from the insects it needs to bring on its brood. Insect skeletons are essentially made from sugar. Insect prey fed to VV grubs is regurgitated as a sweet liquid for the adults to drink. The fact that adults spend a great deal of time on ivy means they cannot hunt sufficient prey to sustain themselves in their normal 'form'. If VV were to become established it will do so in a tempered form more akin to VC.

 

[Erichalfbee]

This behaviour also indicates that they are struggling though. VV is forced to come to ivy because it cannot generate enough carbohydrates from the insects it needs to bring on its brood. Insect skeletons are essentially made from sugar. Insect prey fed to VV grubs is regurgitated as a sweet liquid for the adults to drink. The fact that adults spend a great deal of time on ivy means they cannot hunt sufficient prey to sustain themselves in their normal 'form'. If VV were to become established it will do so in a tempered form more akin to VC.

Beecraft has a webinar on VV
Watching it was like wading through treacle and I must admit I couldn't drag myself through it all but they mentioned there that hives are being targeted quite seriously in some spots....though it is Jersey

 

[Ian123]

This behaviour also indicates that they are struggling though. VV is forced to come to ivy because it cannot generate enough carbohydrates from the insects it needs to bring on its brood. Insect skeletons are essentially made from sugar. Insect prey fed to VV grubs is regurgitated as a sweet liquid for the adults to drink. The fact that adults spend a great deal of time on ivy means they cannot hunt sufficient prey to sustain themselves in their normal 'form'. If VV were to become established it will do so in a tempered form more akin to VC.

Does it mean they are struggling or is it just an easily available source. Empty a bucket of sugar syrup on the floor in summer and it will still attract bees even if the main flows on! I’ve seen ordinary hornets working ivy they appear to be there as much for the abundant other insects attracted than the nectar.

 

[Smallbeehive]

We seem to have many European Hornets where I am and I have lots of ivy in the garden and it has been full of European Hornets this year, looks like they are there mainly to take the insects from it including bee's and the occasional bit of nectar.

Unfortunately they found the beehive and at one point were taking bee's nearly every 3 minutes from the front of the hive when tired workers returned or bee's tried to leave. Hawking them like in this video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WrYLX6MzmA

God help the bee's when the expert bee hunter Asian hornet takes hold here as witnessing the European Hornets predate them so easily was horrible.

 

[Beefriendly]

Doubt they are still trying to raise brood in October, more akin to wasp sweet feeding after brooding is over. Sounds too much like a success not a struggle....damn it.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Jersey nests are active till December so maybe any in the southern counties might be similarly or near abouts?

 

[mazzamazda]

Jersey nests are active till December so maybe any in the southern counties might be similarly or near abouts?

I think Jersey must have lots of concentrated forage? I admit I thought Karol was wrong when he said my hornets are struggling but now I know they are. In Portugal we have nests around 1 metre high with huge numbers at this time of year, foraging since March, they only peak now and release queens in around a month. I doubt the UK has much to worry about with sightings only starting in the last few weeks. That is if it is a nest not just a random hornet.

 

[Karol]

As with all things the devil is in the detail. To explain. If VV were successfully hunting you would not see them sweet feeding off of the ivy at the same time - their priority would be to get protein back to their brood. VV are big insects that require significant amounts of energy to sustain their preferred mode of hunting by hawking. If they are unable to forage sufficient insect prey they will be forced to find alternative carbohydrates away from the nest which eats into their hunting time. They can't do both. If however, VV is in sweet feeding mode on the ivy then they will have already produced and released their sexual progeny meaning there'd be no brood left in the nest to sustain them forcing them to feed exclusively on the ivy. So, if they are hunting and sweet feeding consecutively it means they are struggling and haven't produced their sexual progeny yet. The hornet life cycle lags that of wasps in so far as they are specialist wasp hunters and need wasp populations to grow before being able to exploit them sufficiently for their own needs.

 

[isc26]

second AH Nest Christcurch

Two Asian Hornet nests now confirmed destroyed near Christchurch, Dorset https://www.gov.uk/government/news/...ign=govuk-notifications&utm_content=immediate