Swarm of Killer Hornets make a Beeline for Britain

[La Folie]

Not My title but the Telegraph's. Good to highlight the problem (although I understood the Asian Hornet to be a little smaller than our own Hornet) but typically journalistic in it's sensationalism.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ear...iller-hornets-make-a-beeline-for-Britain.html

 

[kazmcc]

Didn't they say the same thing last year?

 

[Davelin]

3 inch long is some hornet!

And by their calculation we already have 1 1/2 inch long ones!

 

[domino]

3 inch long is some hornet!

And by their calculation we already have 1 1/2 inch long ones!

I wonder if they are confusing it with the giant hornet? As I understand they are actually smaller than the european hornet.

What impact have they actually had on French bees?

 

[Dishmop]

best cooked in red wine..

 

[wessexmario]

The NNSS fact sheet says "not easily confused with any other species",
and the Telegraph's second photo is very specifically specifically annotated "asian hornet", so let's see...

Vespa velutina:
Has a single 4th yellow segment... photo is WRONG,
legs are brown with yellow ends... photo is WRONG,

 

[Dishmop]

They probably copied it all off google.

 

[BeeJayBee]

From the Telegraph:

Asian hornets, also known as ‘hu feng’, ‘vespa mandarinia’ and ‘yak-killer hornet’ are the world’s largest hornets and can grow up to 5cm long and have a 6mm sting.

It's a pity nobody told them that the one on the continent is V. velutina nigrithorax!

 

[La Folie]

As to there effects on bees, we were shown a video by a Seasonal Bee Inspector and it was horrible. They patrol outside the hive picking off flying bees and taking the bodies to their nest. The bees soon become immobilised with fear and slowly starve as a colony. Be eaten or starve - nice choice.

 

[Hivemaker.]

They patrol outside the hive picking off flying bees and taking the bodies to their nest.

European hornets, the ones we already have, do the same, fly around the apiaries all day picking off bees, they only take the bees thorax back to their nest.

 

[Ginger19]

We saw a monster last month whilst in Bergamo (Northern Italy). It was huge, at least 2 to 3 inch long. The waiters at the restaurant looked surprised so I guess it was not a regular sight.

 

[oliver90owner]

So 3 - 4 inches?

I very much doubt that anyone will ever see a swarm, in the sense of beekeeping, of hornets - only a lot of defending (by attacking) insects like when a wasp nest is disturbed. Beeline is fairly irelevant too; a circuitous route would have the same result.

Hype, all of it. Yes, they will eventually arrive and may colonise. But maybe time to re-evaluate the benefits of beekeeping for some, if/when they do.