Asian Hornets

[fian]

A velutina nest has 5-7 horizontal brood combs. Which makes him think that the worker that arrives will go directly to the honeycomb where the queen is. Furthermore, if the work is specialized (like a hive), the entourage of nurses that cares for the queen will be in charge of minimizing the risks. Furthermore, what makes you think that the workers will accept a forager coated in custard again if they have already observed that the substance is poisonous? God does not play dice and in nature animals do not play Russian roulette twice either.

We aren’t trying to kill the workers, only the queen, she is the ONLY target, a small amount will kill her. Once she is gone the nest is finished, the workers redundant and the issue is gone, no queens released and no further issue.

 

[mazzamazda]

A velutina nest has 5-7 horizontal brood combs. Which makes him think that the worker that arrives will go directly to the honeycomb where the queen is. Furthermore, if the work is specialized (like a hive), the entourage of nurses that cares for the queen will be in charge of minimizing the risks. Furthermore, what makes you think that the workers will accept a forager coated in custard again if they have already observed that the substance is poisonous? God does not play dice and in nature animals do not play Russian roulette twice either.

Who said the hornet recognised it as poison, it’s sugar and egg, the hornets eat it if allowed to, you get a larger load coating the legs or and thorax.

I’m not going to waste my time arguing with whether it works or not.

 

[fian]

I’ve watched a zoom conversation on Facebook where a pest controller is using pyrethrum on nests. How dangerous is that if the nest isn’t entirely removed?

You know very well what happens to a hive that loses its queen, so more or less similar to a velutina nest.
1. Workers develop their atrophied ovaries and are chemically inhibited by the queen's mandibular pheronoma.
2. Progressive increase in the number of drones in anticipation of the breeding season. If another nest detects a sudden presence of drones, it will begin the production of queens.
3. As reserves are reduced, the instability and irritability of the workers increases. Greater risk for anyone near the nest.
4. The nest must be completely destroyed, in Galicia it is done at the end of the day so that the greatest number of individuals is inside.

 

[fian]

But it’s not a bait that is being used.

The effect of the bait or custard on the thorax is the same, it is absorbed by the other workers/nurses.

 

[Erichalfbee]

4. The nest must be completely destroyed, in Galicia it is done at the end of the day so that the greatest number of individuals is inside.

Struth!
I wasn’t suggesting it isn’t destroyed. Is it removed? Entirely?

 

[fian]

Who said the hornet recognised it as poison, it’s sugar and egg, the hornets eat it if allowed to, you get a larger load coating the legs or and thorax.

I’m not going to waste my time arguing with whether it works or not.

It is detected by those that arrive when cleaning legs and thorax, assuming that it arrives since fipronil also acts by contact. The second hornet that arrives battered will be expelled or killed.

 

[Worldsend]

During August NBU destroyed 29 nests in Kent /East Sx.
So far this month they state 12 nests destroyed nine in Kent, two in Southampton & one in Hull.

Haven't heard of any in Southampton

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Haven't heard of any in Southampton

if they ended up there, they probably wanted to die!

 

[Karol]

It is detected by those that arrive when cleaning legs and thorax, assuming that it arrives since fipronil also acts by contact. The second hornet that arrives battered will be expelled or killed.

You do spout such rubbish. No wonder mainland Europe has such problems listening to trap salesmen.

As with many things early treatment is a game changer. The best time to use fipronil custard is early in the year - as soon as hornets start predating honeybees. The logic for this is quite simple. When the nest is embryonic with few workers the queen is more likely to be the initial preener so there is a higher chance of success meaning fewer hornets have to be treated statistically to arrest reproduction.

 

[Ian123]

It is detected by those that arrive when cleaning legs and thorax, assuming that it arrives since fipronil also acts by contact. The second hornet that arrives battered will be expelled or killed.

Clearly that’s not the case!

 

[fian]

You do spout such rubbish. No wonder mainland Europe has such problems listening to trap salesmen.

As with many things early treatment is a game changer. The best time to use fipronil custard is early in the year - as soon as hornets start predating honeybees. The logic for this is quite simple. When the nest is embryonic with few workers the queen is more likely to be the initial preener so there is a higher chance of success meaning fewer hornets have to be treated statistically to arrest reproduction.

To do it in May/June it is better to try to capture the queens from March onwards. Furthermore, you were not the one who said that if there were few nests it was more likely that they would be larger and anticipate the production of the next generation. Furthermore, if there are fewer workers in play, it is more difficult to make sightings and captures.

 

[fian]

Struth!
I wasn’t suggesting it isn’t destroyed. Is it removed? Entirely?

Yes, either in one of the following ways and depending on the location of the nest:
-Soaked with gasoline and burning.
-Pot with insecticide or sulfur device.
-Explosive pole.
-Cartridge shot with insecticide or sulfur.
If the nest has not been destroyed but has been activated, it is removed from the location for analysis or as a sample in awareness campaigns.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes, either in one of the following ways and depending on the location of the nest:
-Soaked with gasoline and burning.
-Pot with insecticide or sulfur device.
-Explosive pole.
-Cartridge shot with insecticide or sulfur.
If the nest has not been destroyed but has been activated, it is removed from the location for analysis or as a sample in awareness campaigns.

Ok.
There’s a pestie in France. One Robert Moon saying they poison the nest with pyrethroid of some kind then leave it there as valuable food for other creatures.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Explosive pole

Is that a kind of Eastern European suicide bomber?

 

[fian]

Ok.
There’s a pestie in France. One Robert Moon saying they poison the nest with pyrethroid of some kind then leave it there as valuable food for other creatures.

Well, it is unacceptable to leave a toxic chemical product at the mercy of nature, if you have put it in and it has done its job, remove it.

 

[Erichalfbee]

That’s what I thought.

 

[fian]

Is that a kind of Eastern European suicide bomber?

It is a pole of about 20 m, at the upper end it has a firecracker with an explosive that is activated from the bottom by releasing a small spark into the detonator of the firecracker.
Photo of the explosion and the pole.

 

[Karol]

To do it in May/June it is better to try to capture the queens from March onwards. Furthermore, you were not the one who said that if there were few nests it was more likely that they would be larger and anticipate the production of the next generation. Furthermore, if there are fewer workers in play, it is more difficult to make sightings and captures.

More dogmatic rubbish.

Traps have to compete with naturally occuring sweet food sources so will never eradicate enough queens without massive blanket deployment which will do untold ecological devastation to non target species including other beneficial vespines.

The beauty of fipronil custard is that it is highly selective and highly targetted and most importantly is judicious because the technique exploits hawking hornets. No hornets means no need to treat and no collateral damage so prohibition 5 of the BPRs is satisfied. Use of traps by definition is speculative so collateral damage is unavoidable. You totally ignore Mazzamazda's assessment which derides trapping. One would be forgiven for thinking you have a commercial interest in trapping.

 

[Karol]

It is a pole of about 20 m, at the upper end it has a firecracker with an explosive that is activated from the bottom by releasing a small spark into the detonator of the firecracker.
Photo of the explosion and the pole.

So all that is achieved is to disperse the hornets with no guarantee of killing the queen.

 

[Karol]

Is that a kind of Eastern European suicide bomber?

All down to bigos!