Asian Hornet - Update

[user 3509]

Can't tell you any more than that

Habit of a law enforcement officer - always protect your source, especially a good one

Well does your source say when the news of this sighting is going to go public?

 

[Karol]

Do you know JBM if there have been any reports of velutina hawking around hives in the Somerset sighting or was it just a lone hornet in a trap?

Hopefully the nests when they are treated are treated either at the crack of dawn or at night when all of the workers are resident. There's a danger that treating the nest during the day if the hornets are still in hunting mode, may disperse those workers that don't re-enter the nest after treatment. We see a lot of nuisance wasps created in this way when wasp nests are treated during the day.

I think we will put out a news bulletin to all of our customers to periodically inspect their traps for evidence of velutina. That should hopefully increase the number of eyes on the ground.

 

[B+.]

Well does your source say when the news of this sighting is going to go public?

It has just appeared this morning http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/public/News/news.cfm#177

 

[alldigging]

on the beebase page it says:

"Traps should also be hung out and closely monitored. When using bait, please refrain from using light beer or lager mixed with sugar as this does not work. In France a Dark beer, mixed with 25ml of strawberry syrup and 25ml of orange liqueur has proven to work well."

Any particular orange liqueur?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Do you know JBM if there have been any reports of velutina hawking around hives in the Somerset sighting or was it just a lone hornet in a trap?

Just a lone hornet in a trap

"Traps should also be hung out and closely monitored. When using bait, please refrain from using light beer or lager

Quite right - all you would get with that is thick witted individuals who can't hold their ale stomping around with their shirts removed!!

 

[B+.]

Just a lone hornet in a trap

Are the two sightings associated?

 

[Millet]

Are the two sightings associated?

I stated previously that the nest destroyed could not be the only one, andi bet there are others in some pretty remote spots.

 

[MuswellMetro]

it is official, another nest of hornets being sought in Mendip Hills Somerset

http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/public/News/news.cfm#177

If there is two, then where are the other 200 queen asian hornets?

 

[Hivemaker.]

we are all hoping that it is controlled, but its not looking promising is it!!

Let them become established first by not trapping the queens in spring, then deal with them at a later date by putting a dab of poison on the odd hornet you may happen to find.

 

[MuswellMetro]

yes, queen from a nest in UK last year could be possible, as we now have confirmation on NBU web site of another Hornet trapped in the Mendip Hills,

 

[BeeJayBee]

yes, queen from a nest in UK last year could be possible, as we now have confirmation on NBU web site of another Hornet trapped in the Mendip Hills,

I've had an email from NBU with the same information

 

[MuswellMetro]

if all the homemade Hornet traps dont kill all the wasps then the hornets will finnish the wasps off and we have a plague of catapillars

 

[Karol]

The nest found in Tetbury would have been a winter/spring imported queen. It's unlikely that the nest was a second generation nest otherwise there would have been more sightings by now.

The solitary worker hornet in Somerset may well come from another nest coming in on the same consignment that led to the Tetbury nest. Chances are though that the importer will have brought and will be bringing in more than one consignment so there is a potential for more queens coming on the same route. It's imperative therefore that importers are checked and assessed for risk. That said it is also possible that solitary workers may be coming in on the consignments. So it doesn't automatically follow that the hornet in Somerset will be from a nest. The only way that that will be confirmed is through surveillance both at the hive and through trapping.

It is also feasible (but I suggest very remote in this instance) that the solitary worker may be a displaced worker from the Tetbury nest. Nest eradication with pesticides, especially knock down sprays, frequently results in displaced workers that survive the treatment. Worker wasps will not re-enter their nest if there are no sentries to grant access rights. Knock down pesticides kill sentries which takes away access rights so the returning workers don't come into contact with the pesticide in the nest. These workers then disperse and become free agents (save on occasion when they form overnighting aggregates).

Anyway, I applaud the vigilance of the NBU. It would be helpful to know what stage the Tetbury nest was at as this would also give an insight into the potential threat in Somerset.

 

[MuswellMetro]

by the locations equity distant to Bristol Portishead dock, then i think a consigment coming into the dock may be the source having had at least two hibernating queens

i dont think a lone dislaced hornet would fly 30 miles south in 12hrs as the first hornet in the mendips was reported at the weekend

 

[Karol]

Let them become established first by not trapping the queens in spring, then deal with them at a later date by putting a dab of poison on the odd hornet you may happen to find.

When there's no evidence of a problem why invite collateral environmental harm?

The catch, treat and release method will prevent the sexual progeny from being formed in the first place so it's far more effective and judicious than spring trapping. Or is the recommendation to wait until queens are spawned in Spring and then hopefully catch them all next year?

Where there is an established problem and where traps can be made selective for Asian hornets then I see no reason why both methods can't be used. BUT that's not the situation in the UK at present.

 

[Karol]

by the locations equity distant to Bristol Portishead dock, then i think a consigment coming into the dock may be the source having had at least two hibernating queens

i dont think a lone dislaced hornet would fly 30 miles south in 12hrs as the first hornet in the mendips was reported at the weekend

Thanks for that MuswellMetro. Wasn't aware of the chronology of the sightings.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Or is the recommendation to wait until queens are spawned in Spring and then hopefully catch them all next year?

Wait until queens are spawned in spring and leave them until they have established nests, then treat the workers with a dab of poison to kill off the nests and prevent there being any queens the following spring...hopefully... this is what you are suggesting, isn't it?

 

[mazzamazda]

Wait until queens are spawned in spring and leave them until they have established nests, then treat the workers with a dab of poison to kill off the nests and prevent there being any queens the following spring...hopefully... this is what you are suggesting, isn't it?

I'm going to say its better to spring trap then kill off the rest with the slow release poison. I'm having a HELL of a job eradicating the nests completely. I must have around 20 nests in the apiary vicinity, meaning I have to catch around 600 hornets per apiary. I'm currently at a manageable level with 15-20 hornets per apiary. Thats fine when you have 40 hives per apiary, I'm wondering if its even worth it. With around 1-5 hives, the bees would be in real trouble and getting rid of them is VERY VERY labour intensive.

 

[Plenty of honey]

on the beebase page it says:

"Traps should also be hung out and closely monitored. When using bait, please refrain from using light beer or lager mixed with sugar as this does not work. In France a Dark beer, mixed with 25ml of strawberry syrup and 25ml of orange liqueur has proven to work well."

Any particular orange liqueur?

we've tried lots of mixes in France.but the tried and tested is as follows, where did the strawberry syrup come from!!


1 part black currant cordial or creme de cassis
3 parts Malty beer , biere blond,
3 parts white wine. Cheaper the better

 

[Hivemaker.]

With around 1-5 hives, the bees would be in real trouble and getting rid of them is VERY VERY labour intensive.

I can see the 1 to 5 hive owners being our main front line of action against the hornets.