Asian Hornet nest discovered in Portsmouth

[steve1958]

Notification received from Portsmouth beekeeping association this morning.
Asian Hornets nest located in Portsmouth
Currently being destroyed

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

well, seeing as the colony in Ascot had struggled to make a viable nest by mid October, let's hope this one is no better

 

[Apiarisnt]

Any more information?

There has been nothing in the press today.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Nothing on Beebase either

 

[Boston Bees]

Sounds worryingly like another European hornets' nest has bitten the dust ...

 

[Somerford]

An update will be put out by the NBU tomorrow or Tuesday.
One nest has been located but they think there may be another

stay vigilant especially every beekeeper South of the M4 as there seems to be a hot spot in the Hampshire/Berkshire area this year

 

[Norton Caff]

There's a Facebook message on the Asian Hornet Action Team page
Copied from Chichester Beekeeping Association Just received message from Portsmouth Beekeepers via a Chichester member: " An Asian Hornet nest have been found in Portsmouth. Peter Davies has been in close contact to say that they have found the nest and it is being destroyed at this present time. They suspect that there are more so he has asked me to pass on a message to you all to be exceptionally vigilant as there are likely to be more nests. This one was located in a busy, well populated area (he couldn't give me the exact location) but that is not necessary as the Hornets are very hungry at the moment and will travel some distance for food. The Fareham, Gosport, Portsmouth and surrounding areas are likely to be affected. If you have a sighting, please take a photograph and send it to [email protected] or contact him directly on his mobile 07900292160." Please be vigilant, especially western W Sussex!

 

[pargyle]

Deep Joy .... I rather doubt they will bother my bees - easier pickings between here and Portsmouth .... I'll keep an eye open though .....

 

[Norton Caff]

Which way were the storms blowing this weekend?

 

[Moobee]

Just got the email from Chichester BKA, they’ve said to be vigilant on western side of West Sussex hope they can’t make it across to this bit of West Sussex but will be vigilant. Mind you if they’ve been flying today, they’d have been blown inland many miles….

 

[pargyle]

Which way were the storms blowing this weekend?

South Westerlies ....

 

[oliver90owner]

Guessing it might be too late to be destroying a nest at this time of the year? Won’t all the next-year queens be mated and now hibernating until next spring?

 

[Ian123]

Guessing it might be too late to be destroying a nest at this time of the year? Won’t all the next-year queens be mated and now hibernating until next spring?

Depends how the nests have developed as far as I am aware. Given UK climate they develop late.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Which way were the storms blowing this weekend?

westerlies

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Guessing it might be too late to be destroying a nest at this time of the year? Won’t all the next-year queens be mated and now hibernating until next spring?

Thus far, all the late discovered velutina secondary nests have been very poorly developed and borderline viable with any queens yet to emerge, The one found in Ascot a few weeks ago was only 35cms in diameter

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Just seen that the Pompey nest is again just a foot in diameter

 

[Moobee]

Found near Portsmouth docks and APHA are searching for other nests & doing DNA tests. Theory is that is was a hitchhiker from Channel Islands, France or Spain.

 

[Breenie]

I suppose the worry is that the queen arrived earlier in the year via a cross-channel ferry say, laid eggs in the primary nest in the Spring / early-Summer and subsequently moved into the larger secondary nest that has just been discovered by the NBU over the weekend. That colony may have developed new queens that managed to mate and some of these could be flying around the area, along with a diminishing band of sterile workers. The NBU's DNA analysis will subsequently identify if the AHs caught and the hive nest contents' DNA is from France / Channel Islands and if they are mated . . . or maybe not. Either way, even if the nest is destroyed, viable mated queens MIGHT still be flying locally and could eventually hibernate and emerge next Spring. Let those of us in Hants. and the West Sussex border keep our eyes open for anything resembling an AH - dead, alive or forraging currently on old fruit, ivy or "castor oil plant" flowers, or even monitoring traps and, if so, report it via the iOS or Android App, just in case.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The fact that both secondary nests were only a foot in diameter hopefully indicates a repeat of the last few discoveries in England where the nests were struggling to expand/poorly developed and even at this time of the year did not contain any mature sexuals.

 

[Karol]

The same reasons holding back indigenous wasp development this year will have held back Velutina even more so. For Velutina to thrive it needs an abundance of insects early on in the year much more so than all of our native species. Spring this year was inclement and colder than average delaying indigenous species with wasps still hunting and building nests well into the latter part of October. The fatality rate of over wintering queens is of the order of 99.9%.

It is important to remain vigilant but to keep a sense of perspective and not panic.