Asian Hornets

[sweet tooth]

Hi everyone

I'm new and joined today as I was reading an article on the BBC webpage about aliens amongst us. One alien was the Asian hornet, which caught my eye as I have an Asian Hornets nest in my garden. I have only just acquired the property and don't know quite what to do. It's in my shed. Normally it wouldn't be a problem as you find the entrance and some wasp powder, problem solved, but in this instance you will have to go into the shed, and that is as far as i get.

I am in Haddiscoe, Norwich. Bee keeping is a hobby I wish to get into, as I have a lovely garden for it, or will be in a year or two. So I thought this may be a good way to introduce my self and possibly meet a fellow bee keeper who could give me a few pointers to get me started.

 

[JohnyP]

I hope you don't have "ASIAN" Hornets in your garden because, hopefully, they haven't arrived in the UK yet. If you really do have "ASIAN" Hornets then you can expect DEFRA and probably TV crews and a shed load of people queuing to interview you and film your Hornets.

They are most likely to be "European" Hornets, which you can count yourself lucky to have. Magnificent creatures (which need to be treated with respect).

 

[yeogi75]

I had one, got him, and now a second hovering around, beautiful creatures but not around hives
and welcome from leicestershire

 

[sweet tooth]

Hi everyone

I'm new and joined today as I was reading an article on the BBC webpage about aliens amongst us. One alien was the Asian hornet, which caught my eye as I have an Asian Hornets nest in my garden. I have only just acquired the property and don't know quite what to do. It's in my shed. Normally it wouldn't be a problem as you find the entrance and some wasp powder, problem solved, but in this instance you will have to go into the shed, and that is as far as i get.

I am in Haddiscoe, Norwich. Bee keeping is a hobby I wish to get into, as I have a lovely garden for it, or will be in a year or two. So I thought this may be a good way to introduce my self and possibly meet a fellow bee keeper who could give me a few pointers to get me started.

I didn't know there was a European Hornet, and it looks like I haven't got the Asian, well these site are for learning, and they naturally die off in winter, so thank you for your advice, and nothing to worry about, i'll let nature take its course.

Would be nice to meet any bee keepers that are sited in Haddiscoe though.

regards

 

[farbee]

I found a dead European hornet on my Mum's door step in Egham (Surrey) last week. I wonder how common are these creatures?

 

[Swarm]

Not common enough, sadly.

 

[BeeJayBee]

I found a dead European hornet on my Mum's door step in Egham (Surrey) last week. I wonder how common are these creatures?

As Swarm says, they aren't very common not even in areas where there's meant to be a good population of them. I've seen (or heard) less than a dozen, ever. I've seen far more stag beetles!

 

[farbee]

As Swarm says, they aren't very common not even in areas where there's meant to be a good population of them. I've seen (or heard) less than a dozen, ever. I've seen far more stag beetles!

A luck find then!

 

[oliver90owner]

A check on habitat, position of nest, etc would quickly rule out the dreaded potential-immigrant hornet!

As for not seeing many - hornet nests are not that common anyway - their numbers will decrease further due to the effects of neonics, which will be reducing all species of insects and so be interfering with their normal food chain. Fewer insects to predate will inevitably mean fewer predators in the habitat.

As an aside, that will also affect the number of wasps, I expect. Some may embrace that fact (I don't). I am far more concerned about the species-devastating environmental damage (imparted by these indiscriminate insecticides) to the ecology of the our suffering (due to human activities) planet.

RAB

 

[dclewis]

There's plenty of European hornets this side of the channel. Last year they plagued the apiary but this year have seen only a dozen or so, mainly after the fruit.

 

[Hivemaker.]

There's plenty of European hornets this side of the channel.

No shortage of them here either, more of them than wasps.

 

[theeggman]

No shortage of them here either, more of them than wasps.

We have about a dozen in our high effic. wasp trap at present and only about 2 wasps. Bait in use is banana.

Tim.

 

[Bosleeu]

They come to my Koipond very often for water, not seen them near my bees at all this year, and none in the wasp trap. Scary looking things to me, but also lovely.