Asian hornet traps and baits - please review what you've used

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Apparently - according to a BI talking on AH today, there is a European shortage of AH traps and baits.

probably down to panic buying and stockpiling from this side of the narrow sea (remember the sh!t ticket fiasco?)

 

[madasafish]

probably down to panic buying and stokpiling from this side of the narrow sea (remember the sh!t ticket fiasco?

Bulk buying by some BBKA Associations..

 

[Karol]

The spanish research papers indicate with out a muzzle 50% of their test colonies survived , with a muzzle the survival rate increased to 75%. This was without any other V.v interactions so no trapping or use of harpes.

Given that Mazzamazda achieved 100% survival without traps, muzzles or harpes I'm not sure that's anything to brag about.

Does sound like native vespines will take a battering judging by all the sales of velutina junk. Does sound like beekeepers are going to reap the wind.

 

[Karol]

I'm really not sure that they have been coping that well over the last couple of years, for exactly the reasons you suggest. This year may perhaps be different because the winter has been so comparatively mild that their survival rate during hibernation may be much better.

James

Survival rates for native wasps improve with long harsh winters. Mild winters are catastrophic for them.

 

[Swarm]

What's a long, harsh winter? We rarely see anything close to that.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Not to worry anyway - some shyster enterprising fellow is kindly selling electric hornet harps to the gullible needy from his car boot at a mere £290.00 a pop

 

[Erichalfbee]

Not to worry anyway - some shyster enterprising fellow is kindly selling electric hornet harps to the gullible needy from his car boot at a mere £290.00 a pop

Seems to be the current bandwagon.

 

[OldFarm]

Is this a tested trap? that price would be good as many others would be happy to join the fight with low costs.

This is the cheapest trap I've found. The yellow flower was from eBay. 7mm bycatch escape holes for queens, would need to be 5.5mm to trap workers. Unit cost less than 40p.

 

[Tony Warren]

Is this a tested trap? that price would be good as many others would be happy to join the fight with low costs.

The traps are based on the design of those on YouTube with some amendments to the size of the entrance hole to make them suitable for Spring Queen trapping. Testing is difficult in the timeframe, Queens are appearing around now. These are similar to the many 3D version currently circulating but will be injection moulded so a better price. They should be available and ready to distribute by the end of next week, subject to the manufacturer delivering them as promised. The lids fit a medium sized twist lid jar and are intended for Queen trapping. We will be asking everyone that buys them to register so that we can update people with progress, eg when they should be withdrawn to avoid impacting European Hornets, albeit the EH Queen should not be able to gain entry. We have current had orders for over 2000 unit @£1.00ea plus postage.
Any profits will be reinvested into Asian Hornet Alert to further the cause.

 

[Karol]

The traps are based on the design of those on YouTube with some amendments to the size of the entrance hole to make them suitable for Spring Queen trapping. Testing is difficult in the timeframe, Queens are appearing around now.

Really? (Haven't heard a single UK case of a confirmed velutina queen this year.) Or is that you just want to scare people into jumping on the runaway fright train!

These are similar to the many 3D version currently circulating but will be injection moulded so a better price. They should be available and ready to distribute by the end of next week, subject to the manufacturer delivering them as promised. The lids fit a medium sized twist lid jar and are intended for Queen trapping. We will be asking everyone that buys them to register

Sounds like a marketing ploy to get customer data to sell more destructive products.

so that we can update people with progress, eg when they should be withdrawn to avoid impacting European Hornets,

Pray tell, how will you know precisely when to take down the traps?

albeit the EH Queen should not be able to gain entry.

No but other native vespine queens such as vulgaris, median and germanica will meaning that native vespines will be decimated creating space for velutina to establish itself.

We have current had orders for over 2000 unit @£1.00ea plus postage.
Any profits will be reinvested into Asian Hornet Alert to further the cause.

To further sales of traps?

If you were selling wick based bait stations you'd be a star. Shame it's indiscriminate traps you're selling.

 

[Erichalfbee]

If you were selling wick based bait stations you'd be a star

Spot on. That's what we need
HOW TO MAKE A WICK BAIT STATION

 

[Newbeeneil]

Spot on. That's what we need
HOW TO MAKE A WICK BAIT STATION

I’m just about to make up a load of these to supply to my hive “hosts” this year. From my conversations this year most seem very interested in monitoring them for me.

 

[Paras]

The traps are based on the design of those on YouTube with some amendments to the size of the entrance hole to make them suitable for Spring Queen trapping. Testing is difficult in the timeframe, Queens are appearing around now. These are similar to the many 3D version currently circulating but will be injection moulded so a better price. They should be available and ready to distribute by the end of next week, subject to the manufacturer delivering them as promised. The lids fit a medium sized twist lid jar and are intended for Queen trapping. We will be asking everyone that buys them to register so that we can update people with progress, eg when they should be withdrawn to avoid impacting European Hornets, albeit the EH Queen should not be able to gain entry. We have current had orders for over 2000 unit @£1.00ea plus postage.
Any profits will be reinvested into Asian Hornet Alert to further the cause.

Please do share the website to make orders or give in our interest, I would be interested with that price. How many is required in apiary of 15 colonies?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Might I suggest that those of you who are going to spring trap report their bycatch and be totally honest about it.

 

[Karol]

Might I suggest that those of you planning to spring trap don't and use wick bait stations instead and report sightings of velutina both to the NBU and to the forum.

 

[Plenty of honey]

These might stop the hornets getting the bees on the way in, but there's nothing to stop them using the devices as a perch until a bee comes out then 'hawking' it.

Exactly and the bigger picture you should all think about is AH will seemingly take bees from the front of your hives but they will take many of your bees from the surrounding area whilst your bees are foraging.
You will only see bees being taken in numbers from in front of your hives when all the other protein sources, (flies, Mosquitos any other insects that can be assimilated in to protein) start to dry up as the summer progresses.
we've seen big AH nests in areas we thought were low on numbers and now we purely put this down to insect availability being really good at the start of the season, before the concentrate more on Apis Melifera because its a natural progression to find new food sources. Catching honey bees in terms of AH isnt actual very efficient.
This spring will have had a massive help, you will thank me for saying that, but its the same here across the pond. very few queens caught in our area so far!
Jersey is also still down in numbers for the year!

 

[Plenty of honey]

Yes have watched his Youtube, I am sure the one Richard recommends the "Jabeprode" are good, since there are now many options out there its looking at the best and also the cheapest. As not all beekeepers will buy traps that will cost about £100 for each trap.

again in heavy predation areas, these traps are very effective! More so because they have plenty of room, attract others in and dont need to be emptied every couple of days when other traps become basically useless because their overflowing.