"Asian Hornet" seen in Cornwall

[Beefriendly]

I was thinking of trapping the wasps in a normal high efficiency bottle trap, using a solid bait, then a few seconds dose of co2 to anesthetize them ready for application of the fipronil mix before release.

Great Idea. I still have a lot of full old soda stream CO2 bottles. Quicker than the fridge.
If I start around Late May I should eradicate all the nests in my immediate vicinity and my G&T sun trap will be wasp free. No unpleasant guests to spit out...they do seem attracted to the stuff
The only problem I can see is wading through the 30 tons of insects that the estimated 6 or 7 nests (now deceased) won't devour.

 

[Karol]

I was going to let the 'baiting' ride but then there's always a chance that someone might actually follow your lead. Using the Mazzamazda method is a highly specific technique adapted to VV. There's no guarantee that it'll work for wasps or that treated wasps won't visit beehives delivering a catastrophic dose of fipronil to the hive.

 

[Beefriendly]

Not baiting seriously going to try and eliminate as many wasps nests as I can.It looks to be a very versatile technique.

 

[mazzamazda]

I wouldn't risk using it on wasps, the reason it works so well on VV is the fact VV are large, even using smaller VV the hornet usually dies, even with a smaller dose and they have to be picked up, the guard bees nearly always try and chase the dying VV, they go back the nest possibly with some Fipronil on it, that becomes high risk to the bees.

IMO opinion wasps are a pain, only become a real problem if the hive is weak or faults with beekeeping like leaving entrances open. The VV is a different situation, life and death and something needs to be done.

 

[Hivemaker.]

looks to be a very versatile technique.

I agree, the time to use it to eradicate the wasps is as early in the season as possible, before they are visiting beehives, well before they become a nuisance to us.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

I wonder if there's a group of people at the NBU/APHA/DEFRA discussing this very issue and preparing guidance for beekeepers that is based on solid research of different insecticides and doses?

CVB

P.S. I doubt it!

 

[Ian123]

I wonder if there's a group of people at the NBU/APHA/DEFRA discussing this very issue and preparing guidance for beekeepers that is based on solid research of different insecticides and doses?

CVB

P.S. I doubt it!

That’s the best joke of the year

 

[Karol]

Not baiting seriously going to try and eliminate as many wasps nests as I can.It looks to be a very versatile technique.

Wasps are beneficial and have their place ecologically. Eradicating them just for the sake of it shows a lack of environmental sensitivity.

So healthy wasp populations will help inhibit VV becoming established through competition. They knock back insect populations so reduce the need for harmful pesticides and they provide natural quarantining of diseased hives and prevent the spread of disease by reducing the opportunity for robbing by bees.

Managing wasps around hives is reasonably straight forward with the right knowledge and tools.

 

[mazzamazda]

Wasps are beneficial and have their place ecologically. Eradicating them just for the sake of it shows a lack of environmental sensitivity.

So healthy wasp populations will help inhibit VV becoming established through competition. They knock back insect populations so reduce the need for harmful pesticides and they provide natural quarantining of diseased hives and prevent the spread of disease by reducing the opportunity for robbing by bees.

Managing wasps around hives is reasonably straight forward with the right knowledge and tools.

I believe they are having problems in France which they blame on traps set for Asian hornets. The traps have been also catching native wasp and hornet queens, as a result there has been a huge increase of pesticide use and beekeepers have been reporting up to 90% losses in certain areas. As a result they are banning many pesticides in France, going beyond what the EU are currently restricting.

 

[Hivemaker.]

As a result they are banning many pesticides in France, going beyond what the EU are currently restricting.

That is excellent news, many have been trying to get pesticides banned for decades, who would of thought until now that simply by trapping wasps and hornets it would have the desired effect of getting them banned.
All the more reason to eradicate more wasps, less wasps= less pesticides.

 

[mazzamazda]

That is excellent news, many have been trying to get pesticides banned for decades, who would of thought until now that simply by trapping wasps and hornets it would have the desired effect of getting them banned.
All the more reason to eradicate more wasps, less wasps= less pesticides.

less wasps, less pesticides, loads of pests and no produce.

 

[Hivemaker.]

less wasps, less pesticides, loads of pests and no produce.

Yes...looks like the growers are going to be hit hard, the French are going to end up starving themselves out of their own produce with all those pesticide bans.

 

[Pete D]

I agree, the time to use it to eradicate the wasps is as early in the season as possible, before they are visiting beehives, well before they become a nuisance to us.

Tongue in cheek comment I hope.

 

[For want of a better word]

Wasps are beneficial and have their place ecologically. Eradicating them just for the sake of it shows a lack of environmental sensitivity.

So healthy wasp populations will help inhibit VV becoming established through competition. They knock back insect populations so reduce the need for harmful pesticides and they provide natural quarantining of diseased hives and prevent the spread of disease by reducing the opportunity for robbing by bees.

Managing wasps around hives is reasonably straight forward with the right knowledge and tools.

Research papers on the risk to honeybees of pests and diseases carried by wasps?

I suspect that EFB could be transmitted by wasps, and possibly AFB if abandoned colonies are cleared out by wasps.

Mytten da

 

[Karol]

Tongue in cheek comment I hope.

Hmmm! Trolling from the moderator???

 

[Hivemaker.]

Tongue in cheek comment I hope.

No, not at all, prevention is better than cure.

 

[Karol]

Research papers on the risk to honeybees of pests and diseases carried by wasps?

I suspect that EFB could be transmitted by wasps, and possibly AFB if abandoned colonies are cleared out by wasps.

Mytten da

The bevaviour and life cycle of wasps is sufficiently different to that of honeybees that the risk of disease transmission IMHO is very low.

EFB and AFB are larval diseases. Wasps robbing weakened hives will be in their sweet feeding phase when they have no brood so they will be consuming all of the honey themselves removing it from the environment. There is no evidence of foulbrood in wasp colonies predominantly because only mated queens survive and old colonies are abandonned at the end of the season so there is little risk of carry over.

Wasps have sophisticated antimicrobial strategies including use of antibiotic/antifungal compounds in nest building, natural antibiotics in 'saliva' and effective quarantining and despatch of infected individuals (one of the defensive duties of sentries is to stop infected conspecifics entering the nest).

When vespine wasps were accidentally introduced to the antipedes the use of diseases was considered for biological means of eradication. All efforts failed.

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&s...FjAIegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw2QBtAxK1I76zo7Cs_YRh6v

Having healthy wasp populations IMHO improves overall bee fitness (except that is where poor husbandry is the root cause for catastrophic wasp damage).

 

[For want of a better word]

The bevaviour and life cycle of wasps is sufficiently different to that of honeybees that the risk of disease transmission IMHO is very low.

EFB and AFB are larval diseases. Wasps robbing weakened hives will be in their sweet feeding phase when they have no brood so they will be consuming all of the honey themselves removing it from the environment. There is no evidence of foulbrood in wasp colonies predominantly because only mated queens survive and old colonies are abandonned at the end of the season so there is little risk of carry over.

Wasps have sophisticated antimicrobial strategies including use of antibiotic/antifungal compounds in nest building, natural antibiotics in 'saliva' and effective quarantining and despatch of infected individuals (one of the defensive duties of sentries is to stop infected conspecifics entering the nest).

When vespine wasps were accidentally introduced to the antipedes the use of diseases was considered for biological means of eradication. All efforts failed.

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&s...FjAIegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw2QBtAxK1I76zo7Cs_YRh6v

Having healthy wasp populations IMHO improves overall bee fitness (except that is where poor husbandry is the root cause for catastrophic wasp damage).

Thanks for sharing that.

Yeghes da

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Seems there were two nests at Fovey. They think it was primary and secondary nests but that is yet to be confirmed

 

[Beefriendly]

Update appreciated.