Latest from Defra on YLH

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I'm still struggling to see why there's a need to change the common name.

A. it gets confused with the Asian giant hornet.
B. It's giving the usual xenophobes the excuse to practice their bigotry and race hatred

 

[rolande]

A. it gets confused with the Asian giant hornet.
B. It's giving the usual xenophobes the excuse to practice their bigotry and race hatred

A. If the Asian giant hornet gets here, start off with a common name that won't confuse with the existing Asian hornet.

B. Can't keep changing names just to cover up other's lack of intelligence.

 

[fian]

If the vespula germanica is called "Yellowjacket", the VV could well receive the adjective "Blackorangejacket Hornet"

By allusion.
In the comment, explain the reason why you could use that word with a pejorative meaning, which exists in YOUR language for historical reasons of racism and xenophobia.
On the other hand, using a word to refer to an animal, due to its context and not its physical condition, is difficult to assimilate even to accepting the anthropomorphization of species as something valid, acceptable and universal. What's more, even "yellow-legged Asian" could be equally unacceptable under the same criteria.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

there comes a time when it's best to stop digging

 

[OldFarm]

I'm still struggling to see why there's a need to change the common name. Unless of course it can be shown that many Asian hornets have escaped capture because their name isn't descriptive enough. Yellow legged/socked are both in common usage and will continue to be so even if one is prioritised as 'official'.

Some communities objected to the term "Asian hornet". I don't know if it was them over reacting, or other people being idiots for latching on to "Asian" and using it as excuse to be vile, maybe a combination of the two.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

A. it gets confused with the Asian giant hornet.
B. It's giving the usual xenophobes the excuse to practice their bigotry and race hatred

Not a fan of the goon show Emyr?

 

[enrico]

Asian hornet....identifies as he/ she/ it/ yellow legged

 

[Karol]

Some communities objected to the term "Asian hornet". I don't know if it was them over reacting, or other people being idiots for latching on to "Asian" and using it as excuse to be vile, maybe a combination of the two.

What a sad world we live in? Any ideas how we should rename the European hornet, the Norwegian wasp, the Saxon wasp, the German wasp etc? And I guess whilst we're reconsidering all these common names perhaps we should consider renaming the Wood wasp as well to make sure we don't miss gender the insect given those flying around are mostly cis-female.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

What a sad world we live in? Any ideas how we should rename the European hornet, the Norwegian wasp, the Saxon wasp, the German wasp etc? And I guess whilst we're reconsidering all these common names perhaps we should consider renaming the Wood wasp as well to make sure we don't miss gender the insect given those flying around are mostly cis-female.

Back to the days of the various pox outbreaks. Usually given the name of a country currently unpopular for one reason or another?

 

[Devon Steve]

Yellow Legged Hornet (YLH) is a more descriptive name. This (hopefully) will lead to quicker and more accurative identification and reporting. Whether or not the name is derived from objections to the name 'Asian Hornet' is not important if it helps us deal with this threat.

 

[Karol]

Yellow Legged Hornet (YLH) is a more descriptive name. This (hopefully) will lead to quicker and more accurative identification and reporting. Whether or not the name is derived from objections to the name 'Asian Hornet' is not important if it helps us deal with this threat.

It may be more descriptive but it's less distinguishing as too many other hymenotperans also have yellow legs some of them more so than velutina. A black thorax is far more descriptive and distinguishing. Black thorax hornet would cause far less confusion.

 

[Penninetrader]

It may be more descriptive but it's less distinguishing as too many other hymenotperans also have yellow legs some of them more so than velutina. A black thorax is far more descriptive and distinguishing. Black thorax hornet would cause far less confusion.

You are clearly speaking as someone of expertise but I suspect that would be a hard sell to Joe public. clearly there is a task at hand.

 

[Murox]

You are clearly speaking as someone of expertise but I suspect that would be a hard sell to Joe public. clearly there is a task at hand.

Trouble is Joe Public still thinks a swarm is a few bumble having a ball on their flower beds. There is a very long way to go before Joe even recognises what a wood wasp is let alone correctly identifying a single invasive species of hornet.

 

[North End Bees]

It may be more descriptive but it's less distinguishing as too many other hymenotperans also have yellow legs some of them more so than velutina. A black thorax is far more descriptive and distinguishing. Black thorax hornet would cause far less confusion.

I agree. Black thorax Hornet would've been the better choice. Or even Black Backed for Joe Public.
But now we've called it YLH it's probably better not to change it again. People will just give up!

 

[polomadh]

To be honest “Joe Public” have done a great job of alerting the NBU, I get the impression that most of the initial reports in Jersey and a lot of the ones in isolated outbreaks in the uk are JP, so clearly the message is getting out there. A lot of JP are clearly a lot better than you might think

 

[North End Bees]

The public h

To be honest “Joe Public” have done a great job of alerting the NBU, I get the impression that most of the initial reports in Jersey and a lot of the ones in isolated outbreaks in the uk are JP, so clearly the message is getting out there. A lot of JP are clearly a lot better than you might think

Well that's true to a point. They did a great job in helping to report the 55 credible sightings this year.

But what about all the incorrectly reported sightings of 'Asian hornets' which have to be checked out? Apparently over 20,000 last year and this, according to NBU.

The message needs to be a lot clearer.