"Asian Hornet" seen in Cornwall

[Stiffy]

Had from a very good source today. Fowey hornets: there were two nests and both were small and not fully established.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Had from a very good source today. Fowey hornets: there were two nests and both were small and not fully established.

Thank you for the update, Steve.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

They're scaling down activities as well - stopped searching at Liskeard and Hull, and will have finished in the Fowey area within a week unless they have further developments.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Here's a link to the DEFRA press release.

It's the mushroom system of news management - you keep people in the dark and every so often, you feed them a load of sh*t.


CVB

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

New confirmed sighting of an Asian hornet on the South coast, SBI's responding, NFD apart from it was not a beekeeper sighting but an ordinary member of the public.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

I think we should urge all beekeepers along the south coast to make sure they have traps out and are monitoring them at least daily. These hornets could turn up anywhere - from an isolated hamlet or village all the way up to a county town and city.

It will help the SBIs greatly if beekeepers local to a AH sighting can confirm that nothing has been found in their regularly monitored traps.

CVB

 

[Stiffy]

Think NBU and SBI’s are very busy at present as notifications are slow being sent out.
Hope they manage to get on top of hornets soon
S

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The two nests at Fowey were the same colony primary nest with only sealed/emerging brood, secondary just established and building up. They found the queen and apparently it was poorly mated (only one drone) which is why the colony was so weak.

 

[steve1958]

I guess there are few Males for the Queen to mate with

 

[charlievictorbravo]

I guess there are few Males for the Queen to mate with

One of the issues associated with a limited gene pool is that more and more eggs laid by the queen produce diploid males, which are, I believe, largely sterile and do not do any work in the nest, so become a drain on the resources of the colony.

The AH found in Liskeard was a male but until the laboratories results are released, we won't know whether it was diploid or haploid.

One of the absolute worst things that could happen is for a new incursion of Asian Hornets from China to improve the gene pool of the hornets already here.

Keep those traps out and monitor them regularly - it's our only hope of catching an incursion before another generation of queens is released and there is not a lot of time this season before this could happen.

CVB

 

[mazzamazda]

One of the issues associated with a limited gene pool is that more and more eggs laid by the queen produce diploid males, which are, I believe, largely sterile and do not do any work in the nest, so become a drain on the resources of the colony.

The AH found in Liskeard was a male but until the laboratories results are released, we won't know whether it was diploid or haploid.

One of the absolute worst things that could happen is for a new incursion of Asian Hornets from China to improve the gene pool of the hornets already here.

Keep those traps out and monitor them regularly - it's our only hope of catching an incursion before another generation of queens is released and there is not a lot of time this season before this could happen.

CVB

Thanks, this is all very interesting and great getting information from a country which has the science behind VV. In Portugal it is just "Tough".

I really do think VV will never get established in the UK, if those nests were just starting off and it is already less than 15o, I'm guessing only a few bees flying, there wont be the forage for the nests to get really big like we see here. Today we are on a full Ivy flow, 35o and bees everywhere and a few hornets. They wont start to release queens until November giving them around another 6 weeks of flying time, our next flow (Eucalyptus) starts in another week. Some of the pictures going around here of the amount of hornets in some apiaries is unbelievable.

The UK is certainly doing a good job though.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Thanks, this is all very interesting and great getting information from a country which has the science behind VV. In Portugal it is just "Tough".

I really do think VV will never get established in the UK, if those nests were just starting off and it is already less than 15o, I'm guessing only a few bees flying, there wont be the forage for the nests to get really big like we see here. Today we are on a full Ivy flow, 35o and bees everywhere and a few hornets. They wont start to release queens until November giving them around another 6 weeks of flying time, our next flow (Eucalyptus) starts in another week. Some of the pictures going around here of the amount of hornets in some apiaries is unbelievable.

The UK is certainly doing a good job though.

One of the academics at a Bit of a Do in Truro last Saturday reported that the method you have championed on this forum is being investigated by some French academics with a view to using a better, less persistent and better targeted insecticide in the 'custard'.

Let's hope they're successful so that beeks all over Europe can use the only method that does not require the nest to be found.

In the meantime, all beeks along the south coast of England and elsewhere should be checking their traps for the invaders.

CVB

 

[domino]

One of the academics at a Bit of a Do in Truro last Saturday reported that the method you have championed on this forum is being investigated by some French academics with a view to using a better, less persistent and better targeted insecticide in the 'custard'.

Let's hope they're successful so that beeks all over Europe can use the only method that does not require the nest to be found.

In the meantime, all beeks along the south coast of England and elsewhere should be checking their traps for the invaders.

CVB

I really hope so, the method seems simple and even one beekeeper doing it in their area would have a significant impact locally.

 

[Ian123]

"Let's hope they're successful so that beeks all over Europe can use the only method that does not require the nest to be found."

Well i will lay a bet that they start to use the idea more widely in mainland eu and it will be advocated by french associations....however i will eat my proverbial viel if its encouraged or in anyway endorsed/encouraged by gov or the bbka over here...until at the very earliest we are knee deep in them, and even then i think its a long shot

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The South coast one was in Hampshire actually - Winchester area, NBU quick off the mark, nest already located and destroyed.
Probably be a press release tomorrow.

 

[mazzamazda]

One of the academics at a Bit of a Do in Truro last Saturday reported that the method you have championed on this forum is being investigated by some French academics with a view to using a better, less persistent and better targeted insecticide in the 'custard'.

Let's hope they're successful so that beeks all over Europe can use the only method that does not require the nest to be found.

In the meantime, all beeks along the south coast of England and elsewhere should be checking their traps for the invaders.

CVB

Excellent! Yes I think it could do with some work. The problem I have this year, which is a good problem, I dont have enough hornets to treat so I haven't completely wiped them out. It is very time consuming running around the hives after a single hornet and they are not easy targets, I just dont have the time. It is so much easier when I could catch 400 in an afternoon, the difference was overnight.

The authorities hate Fipronil so an alternative would be a good idea, having said that I have encountered no hive losses but I know some who have.

A favourite this year in PT are electronic arps, imo that is just alleviating the symptoms and the nest will still release queens for next year.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

The South coast one was in Hampshire actually - Winchester area, NBU quick off the mark, nest already located and destroyed.
Probably be a press release tomorrow.

The fact that the SBIs were quick off the mark and found one nest in Winchester is commendable but there is still the need for beekeepers everywhere to monitor their traps to try to ensure that all Asian Hornets are found before the next generation of queens emerge.

CVB

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The fact that the SBIs were quick off the mark and found one nest in Winchester is commendable but there is still the need for beekeepers everywhere to monitor their traps to try to ensure that all Asian Hornets are found before the next generation of queens emerge.

CVB

It wasn't a beekeeper that reported it either - landowner noticed that some of the wasps on his plum tree looked a bit different.

 

[hemo]

Great an alert landowner, good that some folks are alert to their surroundings.
Next spring may be interesting if we all use liquid traps and also going by this years incursions NBU will be busy next year.

 

[BKF Admin]

The fact that the SBIs were quick off the mark and found one nest in Winchester is commendable but there is still the need for beekeepers everywhere to monitor their traps to try to ensure that all Asian Hornets are found before the next generation of queens emerge.

CVB

Winchester

I have not had an email from the nbu yet..