"Asian Hornet" seen in Cornwall

[Stiffy]

Reading the NBU and Buglife websites, although there is a (seemingly remote) possibility that hornets could skip over the channel it appears that the route into the UK is more likely through plants, cargo or hitching a ride on visitors or returning visitors.
Mainly to take care of wasps, my traps have been out for over a month, thankfully nothing as yet.
S

 

[Karol]

The main factor for the increase in numbers has been the continuous hot non-interrupted summer. No weeks sat inside nest because the weather was too cold or too wet to fly. Just weeks and weeks of ideal weather.
I've rarely seen wasp nests as big as they are this season.
Nor had as large a summer honey crop.

Over wintering queen survival is the main factor that determines the size of the wasp population. Having a conducive spring will bring on growth. Having a hot dry summer will precipitate early nest maturation (release of sexual castes) which in turn precipitates early sweet feeding making wasps more noticeable around sweet food sources.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The Fowey hornet nest has been found and destroyed.

 

[Ian123]

Excellent news did dads army or the pros find it and do we have any idea if they would have produced queens yet

 

[domino]

Shame the NBU doesn't have a tip jar for these chaps, I'd give them a fiver for a drink.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Excellent news did dads army or the pros find it and do we have any idea if they would have produced queens yet

It was found by the professionals - and they really are professional. Fowey was the third incursion over three years where a nest was found. The NBU has been learning from this experience and the inspectors were very clear now about how they go about searching for the AHs.

Nothing found today by my AHAT or the SBIs near here - maybe the AH found here hitched a lift on a Tribute lorry from Fowey. More will no doubt be understood when the authorities have the DNA of our dead hornet available.

CVB

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Reading the NBU and Buglife websites, although there is a (seemingly remote) possibility that hornets could skip over the channel it appears that the route into the UK is more likely through plants, cargo or hitching a ride on visitors or returning visitors.
Mainly to take care of wasps, my traps have been out for over a month, thankfully nothing as yet.
S

The message the inspectors have been asking beekeeping organisations to send out is to check the traps regularly. "Our" dead AH was in a trap that hadn't been emptied for 9 days so we don't know for sure how long it had been there. At this time of year, near to when the queens emerge, every day counts so if there are more out there, the sooner they're reported the better.

Incidentally, I saw a video of a French beekeeper dealing with a trap that was full of AHs. As the insects were trying to climb up the inside of the trap, their under (ventral) side was exposed to view. There is a lot more yellow on the segments on this side than there is on the top (dorsal?) side and from that view, could be mistaken for something else. If you see anything mildly suspect that you don't recognise, put it in a container for identification by somebody more expert.

CVB

 

[ShinySideUp]

It's really all rather a worry with these Asian Hornets. We have had a wonderful summer but I wonder if a real stinker of a winter might be what we all need to get rid of these things.

 

[Millet]

It's really all rather a worry with these Asian Hornets. We have had a wonderful summer but I wonder if a real stinker of a winter might be what we all need to get rid of these things.

Was last winter not bad enough for you..

 

[ShinySideUp]

Was last winter not bad enough for you..

I'm afraid that down here it was just wet, it's Cornwall, it's always wet.

 

[Karol]

It was found by the professionals - and they really are professional. Fowey was the third incursion over three years where a nest was found. The NBU has been learning from this experience and the inspectors were very clear now about how they go about searching for the AHs.

Nothing found today by my AHAT or the SBIs near here - maybe the AH found here hitched a lift on a Tribute lorry from Fowey. More will no doubt be understood when the authorities have the DNA of our dead hornet available.

CVB

Impressive. Were the hornets tracked back using micro transmitters? Was there still brood in the nest?

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Impressive. Were the hornets tracked back using micro transmitters? Was there still brood in the nest?

The guy from Exeter University, Pete Kennedy, who developed the transmitters for tracking hornets was at our site yesterday but could not deploy his gismos because there were no hornets to track plus he'd only just returned from Jersey and needed some sleep, so I don't think he was in Fowey. They probably used an old-fashioned compass to get bearings of flight lines from various locations.

I have heard no information about the make-up of the nest in Fowey and only inferred the success at Fowey by the presence of the Fowey Team at Liskeard. No doubt in a few months the NBU will issue information about the nest - this took 6 month in the case of the Woolacombe incursion.

CVB

 

[Stiffy]

I'm afraid that down here it was just wet, it's Cornwall, it's always wet.

Not sure which Cornwall you live in but in the far south west, we had two (for us) long periods of snow and extended frosts, something we rarely get. This last summer also it was hot and dry with very little rain, hardly ‘always wet’!
S

 

[ShinySideUp]

Not sure which Cornwall you live in but in the far south west, we had two (for us) long periods of snow and extended frosts, something we rarely get. This last summer also it was hot and dry with very little rain, hardly ‘always wet’!
S

East Cornwall, Pensilva , up on the moors; it's a micro-climate. Sometimes you can see a line of rain clouds running up the middle of the moors while on either side it is sunny; sometimes it's the other way round. But, in general, it's really quite wet as everything North-facing has a layer of lichen on it caused in no small measure by the fact that we are often in the clouds.

 

[Stiffy]

That’s exactly the point I was attempting to make. Your post referred to Cornwall as a whole not the micro climate you have in your area.
S

 

[For want of a better word]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jOR5tkesMQ

But mostly "Wet Wet Wet" !!!!

Yeghes da

 

[ShinySideUp]

That’s exactly the point I was attempting to make. Your post referred to Cornwall as a whole not the micro climate you have in your area.
S

But surely you must admit, Cornwall in general is not exactly the driest county in England.

 

[Stiffy]

But surely you must admit, Cornwall in general is not exactly the driest county in England.

Never said it was but the post was about last winter and if you have forgotten you replied incorrectly “I'm afraid that down here it was just wet, it's Cornwall, it's always wet.”.
Maybe we get more than our share of rain but it’s not always not always ‘wet’.

The link to one of our Cornish songs by the forums troll is as anyone who knows the song would know is also a poor example. The song refers to a specific town Mousehole, one area of the town and one evening.
Nit picking for the day over

S

 

[For want of a better word]

Never said it was but the post was about last winter and if you have forgotten you replied incorrectly “I'm afraid that down here it was just wet, it's Cornwall, it's always wet.”.
Maybe we get more than our share of rain but it’s not always not always ‘wet’.

The link to one of our Cornish songs by the forums troll is as anyone who knows the song would know is also a poor example. The song refers to a specific town Mousehole, one area of the town and one evening.
Nit picking for the day over

S

Crikey Stuffy.. you did get out of the wrong side of bed!

Yeghes da

 

[Funny honey]

It doesn’t rain in Cornwall check the postcards!!!