Best Hornet Scare Story of the Year?

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So much wrong with it I don't know where to start -

I do - symptomatic of neurological damage from neonicotinoid poisoning - what more evidence do you need? :biggrinjester:
 
Reading the comments at the bottom of the article, it does look as if this journalist is prone to putting out spoof stories. For example: plague of cannibal rats. (Would cannibal rats eat humans or rats???)
 
Thats a re-write of an email I had from somewhere..
 
There are a few thing that could have some more detail but not to far from the truth.
 
I wonder how many people know what the asian H looks like....

At the Tradex at Stoneleigh NBU had hornet samples: I was very surprised at how many beekeepers thought that our own native hornet was the alien - on the basis that because it is bigger and has more "exotic" colouring it must be the invader!!
 
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Problem is our own beautiful Hornet being splatted due to lack of knowledge as can be seen from the above post.

Quite! Thanks Swarm, that is the point I was trying, but failed, to make!
 
Ok after reading it again its not that great but its not the worst Iv seen. Some of the nationals have run story's that where far worse. One thing that is true is that our bees suits will be totally inadequate when we get swarm calls to deal with them.
 
Shame they got the wrong photo and also refer to Giant Hornet. But this is a news rag. Sells papers The Media is just waiting to jump all over this when the true Asian Hornet arrives a journalist in Grimsby caught our Native Hornet and reported it as the Asian Hornet because they had never seen our native hornet.

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You will not want to deal with an Asian Hornet nest that's suicide! Without Hazzard gear hazmat suit and poison!

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I was asked to "deal" with an Asian hornet nest in a hedge. The property owner did not know it was there and was pulling brambles out and disturbed it!! He collected about 6 stings to the face and neck but fortunately did not react too badly.

The nest was about the size of a football (a small colony) and I zapped it with a spray from about 6 feet away. The two layers of clothing under the bee suit and leather gloves were not needed, I wasn't even inspected by a hornet. After about 30 minutes there were no more foragers returning so I removed the nest.

I would not dream of dealing with a full sized AH nest (about 3ft tall and 2ft diameter) plus the fact that they are usually 30ft+ up in the trees.

In my area the Asian hornet is a nuisance but no worse than it's European cousin and wasps. It is not living up to it's reputation - Varroa are more of a threat IMHO.
 
I was asked to "deal" with an Asian hornet nest in a hedge. The property owner did not know it was there and was pulling brambles out and disturbed it!! He collected about 6 stings to the face and neck but fortunately did not react too badly.

The nest was about the size of a football (a small colony) and I zapped it with a spray from about 6 feet away. The two layers of clothing under the bee suit and leather gloves were not needed, I wasn't even inspected by a hornet. After about 30 minutes there were no more foragers returning so I removed the nest.

I would not dream of dealing with a full sized AH nest (about 3ft tall and 2ft diameter) plus the fact that they are usually 30ft+ up in the trees.

In my area the Asian hornet is a nuisance but no worse than it's European cousin and wasps. It is not living up to it's reputation - Varroa are more of a threat IMHO.

That's not the advice we are being given by the National Bee Unit, and Hornet Specialists in the UK, which have studied its spread in France since 2004, China and now South Korea. (also "imported" from China at the same time as France!).

Beekeepers have been advised NOT to attempt any removal, or go anywhere near a nest and report to Authorities, for destruction and removal.
 
I am only about 100 miles from the point of "import", Bordeaux in France and we have had the Asian Hornet since 2008. Some years have been worse than others but non have been disastrous.

Most bee keepers over here now deploy hornet traps by mid March and target the emerging queen hornets - last year 3 caught, this year zero!! - but every queen caught is one less nest of thousands later in the season.

Yes they can be aggressive but usually only when protecting their nest. Yes there have been deaths - 3 last year in the Dordogne - but all were from causes brought on by the sting(s), not the venom alone.

A large dose of common sense is required when dealing with both the Asian and the European hornet but neither are the insect from hell they have been hyped up to be.
 
Its the cutbacks in Border Control.

The French wont entertain them so they come over here hidden in trucks.
They make beds in sheds and eat our bees from the free food banks.
 

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