Asian Hornets

[Will Kevans]

Does anyone know how serious the problem of hornets can be on my hive. I've set hornet traps around the hive, they seem to be very successful in catching European hornets and now Carrion beetles. Every day I visit my hive I kill a 5-7 hornets waiting to catch and fly off with my bees. So far Ive killed around thirty. Im hoping I can locate their nest and destroy it. Does anyone have any suggestions for this issue?

 

[Boston Bees]

You haven't put your location. Presumably you are in France or the channel islands, given that you are concerned about Asian hornets?

But either way, please stop killing European hornets right now. They are not a serious threat to your bees and not strong in population in the UK.

If you are in the UK, you have nothing to fear, at present, from Asian hornets. There are no known live nests here.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

But either way, please stop killing European hornets right now. They are not a serious threat to your bees and not strong in population in the UK.

I fail to fathom this obsession of killing anything that may be even a slight inconvenience to bees. I find that bluetits and blackbirds take far more bees at my apiaries that European hornets (and I have a hornet's nest within yards of the hives at two) should I start looking at having a bluetit eradication plan?

 

[Apiarisnt]

Does anyone know how serious the problem of hornets can be on my hive. I've set hornet traps around the hive, they seem to be very successful in catching European hornets and now Carrion beetles. Every day I visit my hive I kill a 5-7 hornets waiting to catch and fly off with my bees. So far Ive killed around thirty. Im hoping I can locate their nest and destroy it. Does anyone have any suggestions for this issue?

If, as would seem, you are based in France, you will get far more useful information from your local beekeeping assocation than from this forum, There are a few France based beekeepers on the forum, but the rest of us have little or no experience of le frelon asiatique.

https://www.unaf-apiculture.info/qui-sommes-nous/les-syndicats-en-region.html
..and your local beekeeping association should also be able to help you with other stuff. Even some of those in the UK do for their members.

 

[Will Kevans]

Not much help and a few snotty remarks. I released the European hornets by the way. I'll consult the French I'm sure they'll be better at giving me some actual advice.We've plenty of tits here too.

 

[Apiarisnt]

par example: Frelon Asiatique » Lutte

and a European hornet having one of my bees this morning:

View attachment 28525

 

[Will Kevans]

All I want to know is worth hanging outside my hive for an hour every day killing Asian Hornets with a badminton racket or am I wasting my time?

 

[Boston Bees]

All I want to know is worth hanging outside my hive for an hour every day killing Asian Hornets with a badminton racket or am I wasting my time?

Best to ask on a forum that's based in a country that has Asian hornets maybe?

 

[Boston Bees]

par example: Frelon Asiatique » Lutte

and a European hornet having one of my bees this morning:

View attachment 28525

You sure about that?....

 

[Swarm]

par example: Frelon Asiatique » Lutte

and a European hornet having one of my bees this morning:

View attachment 28525

Looks more wasp than hornet.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'll consult the French

Message Richard Noel
He’s in this forum as @Plenty of honey but you might have more luck getting him on Twitter Richard Noel @beesinbritanny
He has a YouTube channel too.

 

[Ian123]

Not much help and a few snotty remarks. I released the European hornets by the way. I'll consult the French I'm sure they'll be better at giving me some actual advice.We've plenty of tits here too.

As we don’t have them we would all be guessing!!! However if you use the search function there’s a Portuguese chap who stuns them with his electric racket paints them with custard/tick treatment and sends them on the way. It works for him!

 

[Karol]

par example: Frelon Asiatique » Lutte

and a European hornet having one of my bees this morning:

View attachment 28525

Vespula germanica - European or germanic wasp. Not a hornet.

 

[user 819]

Not much help and a few snotty remarks. I released the European hornets by the way. I'll consult the French I'm sure they'll be better at giving me some actual advice.We've plenty of tits here too.

Snotty remarks, the first post wasn't clear. It mentioned trapping Crabro and 30 hornet's killed thus not specifying what was being killed or what may have been released. Good to here the Crabro's were released as to swatting the Velutina's it is likely a futile attempt at keeping them at bay.

The issue of capture and release of Velutina with a substance might be irresponsible as the collateral damage to other wildlife may be ongoing if they feed on the dying dead nest. In the UK it is illegal to release them.

The electric harp was a device being used in France so might be worth inquiring to it's merits.

 

[Repwoc]

As we don’t have them we would all be guessing!!! However if you use the search function there’s a Portuguese chap who stuns them with his electric racket paints them with custard/tick treatment and sends them on the way. It works for him!

@mazzamazda. Not Portugese, but lives in Portugal. Asian hornets in the UK. A chance of stopping them?

 

[Karol]

The issue of capture and release of Velutina with a substance might be irresponsible as the collateral damage to other wildlife may be ongoing if they feed on the dying dead nest. In the UK it is illegal to release them.

The method uses minute quantities of pesticide in a way that is highly targetted to exploit trophalaxis to the queen and the formulation used has a short half life so collateral risk is miniscule compared to the damage that Velutina does to indigenous wildlife.

The situation in Portugal should not be compared with that in the UK.

 

[pargyle]

All I want to know is worth hanging outside my hive for an hour every day killing Asian Hornets with a badminton racket or am I wasting my time?

I think you probably got off on thw wrong foot ... although we are all beekeepers most of us are conscious of the dwindling numbers of other insect species in the UK. European Hornets are becoming much rarer in the UK and your original post suggested that you were killing them needlessly and without a location in your profile people perhaps assumed that you were UK based. I'm not surprised you received a few 'snotty' comments.

I'm on the South coast and we are very aware of the potential for the Asian Hornet to cross to our shores - we've had a few nests found and fortunately, they have been dealt with. We are still in the phase where we are trying our best to identify any influx and deal with them on a nest by nest basis - it's an invasive species where you are and seems set to stay - we don't have the experience (yet) of having to deal with the pest on a more general basis. We only have second hand information from across the channnel and the few members who are on here with apiaries in Europe. Whilst it took a while to get there the best advice was possibly to ask people who have to deal with them on a regular basis.

Good luck with your beekeeping - whilst we haven't helped much on this occasion there's still plenty we have in common and much to learn from people on here. Stick around and you will be made welcome.

 

[Apiarisnt]

Vespula germanica - European or germanic wasp. Not a hornet.

Thanks. I shall remove the offending snap

 

[Apiarisnt]

Message Richard Noel
He’s in this forum as @Plenty of honey but you might have more luck getting him on Twitter Richard Noel @beesinbritanny
He has a YouTube channel too.

...and here he is removing an Asian hornet nest :

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I've still got a few Asian hornets preserved in a jar of alcohol from the bagful Richard sent me years ago, before Thornes csme up with the resin set velutina I used to give felow beeks an Asian hornet in alcohol preserved in a 1oz honey jar, in fact my RBI and a few SBI's asked for some as not many samples were forthcoming from the NBU.