Asian Hornet - Update

[For want of a better word]

Do they make Queen cells .

Don't know... but then I am not a fan of your stripey foreign imports!

Nos da

 

[Karol]

Do any birds / other wildlife predate on hornets?
If so, won't this get you in trouble with the Wildlife Act?

Not sure the Wildlife Act extends to Portugal!

Just to be clear, my musings don't relate to the UK but to a foreign territory that has an established problem with an invasive species.

I have already said I'm not in favour of leaving out bait laced with fipronil (and I extend that to all biocides). What I am talking about is a very carefully managed selective application which is highly targetted. Compared to using pesticides to treat wasp nests I think it's a far more controlled process to catch one hornet and daub it with a suitable aliquot of wet paste. The quantity by comparison to agricultural applications would be miniscule.

 

[Karol]

will the queen hornets have left and mated by now?

Possibly not. If the hornets were hawking around the hives to take back bees to feed the brood then it is hopeful that the nest hasn't released its queens yet.

It would be interesting to know the size of the nest.

 

[Plenty of honey]

Possibly not. If the hornets were hawking around the hives to take back bees to feed the brood then it is hopeful that the nest hasn't released its queens yet.

It would be interesting to know the size of the nest.

over here, reports and studies indicate that the majority of times, nests dont initiate production of queens and drones until very late in the year. As late as November in some cases. If weather, temperature and food supplies continues to be good.
However, i have also seen two nests within 5 meters each other, which is well known with this species. Sometimes they initiate multiple queens , the existing founding queen splits off and initiates another nest nearby. or they have multiple queens in the nest, permitting quick build up.
Its been relatively warm in the uk during recent weeks, so chances are they havent initiated production of queens yet.

Theres no doubt this wont be the only nest, next year it may be completely missed and dispersal of queens inevitable. these BFO trees are exactly what they love.

 

[Tom Bick]

If its only one nest site what's likely to be the outcome of the queens mating with drones from the same nest?

 

[tonyofarr]

My wife went to a talk on the Asian Hornet earlier in the year (can't remember the name of the lecturer) and sister queens mating with their brothers would not cause any issues. Apparently they expected the Asian hornets in France to struggle because of this genetic bottleneck, but the genes get 'shuffled' when the queen is laying eggs so that there is variation. That's the best I can explain it, Karol will know how to explain it better.

 

[Erichalfbee]

If its only one nest site what's likely to be the outcome of the queens mating with drones from the same nest?

Fairly successful I would have though seeing as the French hornets were supposed to have been descended from one queen?

 

[Karol]

My understanding is that the infestation in France was the result of more than one queen being imported so the gene pool whilst narrow still has some breadth which allows for more variation when the queens "shuffle" their genetic material. That said there is still a higher proportion of diploid drones which appear to survive longer and therefore inhibit the spread of velutina. It's much more likely that with only one genetic source there'll be significantly more diploid drones as the amount of shuffling that the queen can do is more limited and the likelihood of drones receiving duplicate alleles coding for sex is that much greater. That said if a nest produces circa 1500 queens and drones it still only takes two queens to survive with different genetic material and the population will expand so there's an awful lot of slack that the species can play with.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Fairly successful I would have though seeing as the French hornets were supposed to have been descended from one queen?

Oooops
More than one then....don't know where I heard just the one?

 

[Tom Bick]

My understanding is that the infestation in France was the result of more than one queen being imported so the gene pool whilst narrow still has some breadth which allows for more variation when the queens "shuffle" their genetic material. That said there is still a higher proportion of diploid drones which appear to survive longer and therefore inhibit the spread of velutina. It's much more likely that with only one genetic source there'll be significantly more diploid drones as the amount of shuffling that the queen can do is more limited and the likelihood of drones receiving duplicate alleles coding for sex is that much greater. That said if a nest produces circa 1500 queens and drones it still only takes two queens to survive with different genetic material and the population will expand so there's an awful lot of slack that the species can play with.

Yes widely accepted that there was at least two queens that arrived in France and who knows a few more could have arrived since? The hornets in France are known to be genetically weakened so if they are here to stay weekend further with more inbreeding, providing we don't get any more queens imported.

 

[Karol]

My feeling is that there were multiple queens imported over a number of import events albeit from one single location in China. When one looks at hibernating behaviour and population dynamics then a yard full of stacked clay pottery with drainage holes presents a boon as a secure harborage for hibernating in (a veritable hotel city). It's inconceivable that only one queen will have utilized such a harborage just as it is inconceivable that the exporter and importer would have checked every single pot for a dormant queen hornet.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

And apparently they now have - I hear a nest has been found high up in a BFO tree

You heard it here first folks - thanks to JMB's "sources". Confirmation here: http://www.gloucestershirelive.co.u...st-destroyed/story-29766797-detail/story.html

CVB

 

[MartinL]

R.S.P.B. don't know the difference between Asian hornet, (Velutinia) & Giant Japanese one , (mandarinia). http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38174

What a bunch of loosers!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes it's like running a story on elephant shrews and illustrating it with a clip of elephants in the Serengeti

 

[Erichalfbee]

Good to hear nest is captured. Hopefully no queens issued yet

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

I'm sorry to be gloomy but where would THAT have come from, and what does possible answers to the question tell us about whether it is alone.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'm sorry to be gloomy but where would THAT have come from, and what does possible answers to the question tell us about whether it is alone.

Richard's post 104 indicates that nests often don't mature till late in the year....I was just trying to be optimistic

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Notwithstanding the destruction of the first nest, no doubt we'll ALL be urged to set up traps in the spring.

No doubt detailed advice will be forthcoming from the NBU. If Richard were to compile his advice, spread throughout this thread, into a Sticky, we'd all benefit.

I know it's traditional on this forum to knock anything that smacks of officialdom, but from what I've seen, the NBU and APHA have done a pretty good job on the ground so far - they've only been let down by being a little tardy with their public statements - beekeepers shouldn't have to scour the local press to find out what's happening.

CVB

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I know it's traditional on this forum to knock anything that smacks of officialdom, but from what I've seen, the NBU and APHA have done a pretty good job on the ground so far
CVB

The troops on the ground are usually ready to pull out all the stops - it's senior management (and this is from long and bitter experience) and the bean counters who usually let joe public down.

they've only been let down by being a little tardy with their public statements - beekeepers shouldn't have to scour the local press to find out what's happening.

CVB

Another sad failing in government departments - always slow to push out news (whether good, bad or morre importnatly true and informative) and blow their own trumpets (where it is needed) but always ready to b*gger things up with a kneejerk reaction or an ill advised statement

 

[Hivemaker.]

Been asked if I could supply a couple of European Hornets and a couple of Asian Hornet queens for the members to see at the local association show tomorrow, so have just mounted a couple of each on a piece of white cardboard.