Asian Hornet - Update

[Erichalfbee]

I agree with you Karol. We should be making sure we recognise an Asian hornet so that we do not have a repeat of the Mendips fiasco. It must have cost a fortune in manpower and time. We need to be able to identify the problem so that scarce and expensive resources can be put to the best use.

Well to make a start I have some hornets in a jar which I will be taking to our BKA meeting tomorrow night.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Well to make a start I have some hornets in a jar which I will be taking to our BKA meeting tomorrow night.

Same here. I have a small box with a couple of European Hornets and an Asian Hornet that I was given by a beek in Brittany earlier in the summer. I shall be taking the box to our associations meeting on Wednesday so that other members can see the differences.

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, one of the picture agencies has an incorrect photograph of an Asian Hornet so I'd ask forum members to keep a lookout for wrongly labelled photos. If you see one, raise it with the publication.

CVB

 

[Plenty of honey]

I agree with you Karol. We should be making sure we recognise an Asian hornet so that we do not have a repeat of the Mendips fiasco. It must have cost a fortune in manpower and time. We need to be able to identify the problem so that scarce and expensive resources can be put to the best use.

If you would like a few Samples Brian or anyone else, please just hollow. I still have a load in some traps so if anyone is a member of any association take them and get your members well used to what they look like. Unless you see them often its not the easiest thing to differentiate in a flash in front of a hive!! Education is Key!!
Postage is nothing. Just happy to help fellow beeks where i can!!

 

[birdsandbees]

If you would like a few Samples Brian or anyone else, please just hollow. I still have a load in some traps so if anyone is a member of any association take them and get your members well used to what they look like. Unless you see them often its not the easiest thing to differentiate in a flash in front of a hive!! Education is Key!!
Postage is nothing. Just happy to help fellow beeks where i can!!

Oh, that's an idea, and kind of you to offer, I'd be interested if that's okay, I can take them along to my association meetings etc.
I shall send you a message

 

[BeeJayBee]

If you would like a few Samples Brian or anyone else, please just [holler]. I still have a load in some traps so if anyone is a member of any association take them and get your members well used to what they look like. Unless you see them often its not the easiest thing to differentiate in a flash in front of a hive!! Education is Key!!
Postage is nothing. Just happy to help fellow beeks where i can!!

Yes please. Do you have any Vv workers?

Does anybody have a dead European Hornet, for comparison?

 

[For want of a better word]

I shall be taking the box to our associations meeting on Wednesday......



CVB aka "compo"

Nos da

 

[Plenty of honey]

Yes please. Do you have any Vv workers?

Does anybody have a dead European Hornet, for comparison?

Will have a rummage around and try and send you some workers as well as Asian workers!!

 

[charlievictorbravo]

We had our CBKA group meeting this evening and it was a presentation by our SBI about diseases and pests.

Quite a lot of the time was taken up talking about Asian Hornets and the SBI was one of those who went up to Tetbury and then on to North Somerset. Some interesting things came out of his talk.

1. Initially they were deploying traps (orange plastic ones) but they were not successful.
2. They spent a lot of time at the nearby beehives and, interestingly, at sites of forage - they found a couple of hornets on ivy, taking nectar and any other foragers that came within range.
3. They established on "Beeline" from the original apiary to indicate the direction of the nest and they then set up a hornet feeding station some way away, but not in the direction of the nest, and established another "beeline" from there. Using large scale maps they were able to triangulate to where the nest was in theory. In fact, they found the nest after a lot of searching almost exactly where the triangulation said it was. They had been told that the hornets rarely use pine trees for their nest but this proved to be incorrect.
4. They did a lot of leafleting of local beekeepers, houses, farm, pubs, etc.
5. They spent a lot of time tiaging and responding to calls from the public.
6. They tried using an infra-red camera to look for the nest at night but this found lots of squirrels and pigeons but not the hornets' nest. When they found the nest, they took infra-red photos of it and it could be seen if you knew the nest was there but it was not a go-to solution for finding a nest - the mark I eyeball was better.

The nest was destroyed (killed) at night using a "specially approved" insecticide injected into nest by an operative using a "cherry picker" platform. The following day a tree surgeon removed bits of the tree and its surrounding branches and nest and this has gone to the laboratory to

1. analyse the DNA of the remains of the hornets
2. determine how advanced the queen development was

Although Asian Hornets can fly a long way in one go, the hornets in Tetbury only seemed to forage within 500 metres of the nest. They found no continuing instances of the hornets hawking at the beehives. They put this down to the fact that there was no competition for food so they had the choice of bees, wasps, moths, butterflies, etc. whereas in France, there are so many Asian Hornets that they have wiped out much of the local foodchain and have to hawk at beehives to get a meal.

It was a really interesting talk and I'm pleased I was able to provide a visual and tactile aid in the form of a dead European and a dead Asian Hornet. The SBI is still waiting for his hornet, set in plastic, to arrive.

CVB

 

[REDWOOD]

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/bees_vs_hornet?source=searchvideo

 

[Plenty of honey]

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/bees_vs_hornet?source=searchvideo

Please lets not confuse the issue here, this is the Giant Japanese Hornet, Vespa Mandirana, although it is the largest of the Vespa family, its nothing to do with the Asian Hornet and its not in Europe at the moment.( thank goodness)
This thread needs to remain very clear here. I dont mean to be a party pooper Redwood but it is important this thread remains informative and precise.
There are some who may see this and think thats what to look for, (have you been reading the Daily Mail by any chance)

 

[Plenty of honey]

[*]They tried using an infra-red camera to look for the nest at night but this found lots of squirrels and pigeons but not the hornets' nest. When they found the nest, they took infra-red photos of it and it could be seen if you knew the nest was there but it was not a go-to solution for finding a nest - the mark I eyeball was better.
[/LIST]

CVB

Very interesting, thanks for sharing. We had hoped that Infrared cameras would be a useful as their now available to us all as prices have fallen in latest models.
Shame really, but thanks for sharing that!! Their obviously very efficient and dont waste much heat!
Interestingly enough, we found a nest 2 weeks ago, on the morning of our first frost, they were foraging well in 4 degrees as the frost melted.
Interesting and good report by the CBKA

 

[Karol]

Thank you for this update. The NBU really do need commending. Absolutely delighted that they treated the nest at night. This is critically important especially during the sentinel phase.

We had our CBKA group meeting this evening and it was a presentation by our SBI about diseases and pests.

<snip>

The nest was destroyed (killed) at night using a "specially approved" insecticide injected into nest by an operative using a "cherry picker" platform.

<snip>

CVB

 

[Brian Bush]

Thank you for this update. The NBU really do need commending. Absolutely delighted that they treated the nest at night. This is critically important especially during the sentinel phase.

I agree with Karol. The NBU have done a good job. It seems they used a good strategy and were prepared to modify it as the search progressed.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

I agree with Karol. The NBU have done a good job. It seems they used a good strategy and were prepared to modify it as the search progressed.

One thing the SBI did mention in his talk was that the NBU was funded by the European Commission and they do not know what its future will be post-Brexit. I did not point out that according to Boris, we'll have £350million a week to divey up - or is that all going to the NHS?

It might be an idea for Ministers to receive a few complimentary letters/emails about the NBU so that they know its value - the minister is Rt Hon Andrea Leadsom MP and her departmental email address is [email protected]

CVB

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

One thing the SBI did mention in his talk was that the NBU was funded by the European Commission
CVB

True - the EC give a chunk of money each year towards beekeeping - this gets divided between the devolved parliaments and Westminster. Wales gives the whole share to the NBU (fact - as SWMBO used to be the WG officer I/C bees) don't know how much the other mobs give.

 

[Karol]

Economically the UK were net gainers from the EU so the £350m is a false figure. It remains to be seen if the UK economy will still be able to grow outside of the EU. In which case it might be prudent to establish a new tax to fund the NBU.

 

[Briarfield]

Economically the UK were net gainers from the EU so the £350m is a false figure. It remains to be seen if the UK economy will still be able to grow outside of the EU. In which case it might be prudent to establish a new tax to fund the NBU.

In other words compulsory registration with a fee.

No thank you.

 

[Karol]

Not necessarily. Might come as a tax on the sale of honey.

 

[Fritillary]

As the welfare of bees, and other pollinators, is hardly unconnected to successful agriculture why should any tax be levied on beekeepers?
(Not that that would prevent such a tax from happening of course!)

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

As the welfare of bees, and other pollinators, is hardly incidental to successful agriculture why should any tax be levied on beekeepers?

You could say the same for the welfare of cattle and sheep - hasn't stopped HMG thinking of passing any costs of future disease outbreaks firmly in the laps of farmers