Asian Hornet - Update

[Pete D]

Well apparently the hornet 'sighting' in the medips came to nothing and no more sightings of hornets/nests in Tetbury, NBU are scaling down operations and the SBI's on standby have been stood down.

Yep, time to get my own bees sorted now !

 

[Barbarian]

I'm getting paranoid. I've been checking this thread and Beebase frequently.

Thanks JBM.

It is a pity that the NBU have not updated their latest news thread. Even a "no joy" message would have been helpful.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It's government Standard Operating Procedure - keep the great unwashed worrying about one relatively unimportant matter so they don't notice how the b*ggers in Westminster are preparing to shaft them.

 

[BILL.HEARD]

Sorry bit late coming on this thread, but did anyone ask the obvious, when the nest was retrieved was it noted if queens had been raised and departed? its fairly late in the season!

 

[Karol]

Not for hornets it wasn't. The wasp season is late as well. Haven't heard anything from the NBU about the analysis on the nest though so nothing confirmed.

 

[derekm]

You are always very welcome. I apologise if I sometimes come over a little too assertively. I'm afraid that's down to my rather direct Polish heritage and despite being born here I still haven't mastered the art of nuanced English.

I know what you mean.
Beating about the Bush/nuanced English is a South East of England stereotype. My culture is direct and assertive, you hold your ground, make your case with passion, but listen and who ever makes the best argument buys the round!
But then I'm a foreigner in these parts, and even after 33 years its still difficult at times.
Derek

 

[Teemore]

Just starting to see queen wasps exploring over the past week both at home and in Belfast. The window adjacent to my desk (3rd floor) has attracted queen wasps each morning since Tuesday... they seem to like sunning themselves an preening on it. Karol, would it be appropriate to surmise that hornets would be on a similar "schedule"?

 

[Karol]

My experience is that there tends to be a lag between wasps and hornets. I put this down to the fact that hornets specialise in predating on wasps (and bees) and so thet don't get going until wasp numbers increase. So for instance on the odd occasion that we catch hornets it's invariably because they've gone in after sweet feeding wasps that have been caught i.e. after wasps have released their queens. The caveat to all of this is that if the wasp season is delayed then this compresses the lag time. It might still be a few weeks before we see hornet queens.

 

[MartinL]

Nothing more - no new sightings and a horde of SBI's on standby to go down there if the NBU think it worthwhile

Confirmed sightings are what we need.
Not Journalistic excitement!

Your last post left me a little confused. Has there been more than one verified sighting in Mendip or has there only been one sighting (in spring) which has only just recently been reported.

Just the one - from the spring but only just reported it seems.

Sorry but I'm from the generation who were at school (before the days of political correctness) & remember the story of the boy who cried wolf?

So who was employing the Journalist who cried Wooooolf???

 

[Erichalfbee]

Thorne have got in on the act now.
Special offer for the Honey Show
https://www.thorne.co.uk/hardware-clothing/hive-hardware/miscellaneous?product_id=7426
Nearly £30, though

 

[Millet]

Thorne have got in on the act now.
Special offer for the Honey Show
https://www.thorne.co.uk/hardware-clothing/hive-hardware/miscellaneous?product_id=7426
Nearly £30, though

How easy is that to replicate.. . most folk will be gullible but not thee, Karol will surely be along shortly with more experienced advice.

 

[Erichalfbee]

If necessary I will copy Richard's (Plenty of Honey) recipe on his video
I bet they sell like hot cakes though and people will have them out in the Spring unfortunately

 

[dpearce4]

Thorne have got in on the act now.
Special offer for the Honey Show
https://www.thorne.co.uk/hardware-clothing/hive-hardware/miscellaneous?product_id=7426
Nearly £30, though

That just looks like an iced coffee cup from starbucks with a piece of plastic over the top. Cheap rubbish. The expensive bit is probably the 10 sachets of attractant.

 

[Anduril]

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&s...V7QFrHmM6qWsGrRPQ&sig2=hjQBu0omGgtMMlUYZjsuZQ
The trap from NBU

 

[Karol]

Didn't know that we'd seen more Asian hornets around hives. Shows you how much I'm out of touch.

 

[Anduril]

No more hornets just traps being sold by big T.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Didn't know that we'd seen more Asian hornets around hives. Shows you how much I'm out of touch.

To hear some of the nutters talking they've been around for years, the country is infested with them, a veritable plague.

 

[dpearce4]

To hear some of the nutters talking they've been around for years, the country is infested with them, a veritable plague.

What a plague of nutters?

Your probably right if the number of them on this forum is anything to go by.

 

[GaryB]

well it's a Veto Pharma product, and they are based just outside Versailles... Asian Hornet territory.

 

[Karol]

No more hornets just traps being sold by big T.

Xmas hive decorations perhaps?