Asian Hornets...

[Moobee]

Just wondered what other people are doing in their local BKAs regarding the imminent threat of Asian Hornets gaining a foothold on the UK mainland?
I am a member of our local AHAT group and our main priority has so far been about educating the public to identify any that arrive.

The BBKA doesn't seem to be particularly proactive (IMHO) as there does not appear to be any co-ordinated/joined up thinking with the local associations or the NBU. We don't seem to get alerts in a very timely manner and there is no training available to local teams as to what to do when there is a serious incursion....

Being close to at least one ferry port, which is where they seem to be coming in by hitching a ride on ships from France & the Channel Islands, it frankly scares me that it is only a matter of a time before they are a serious threat to our bees and other pollinators.

 

[The Poot]

Just received an email from my association that two AH nests have been found and are about to destroyed, on Portland!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Just received an email from my association that two AH nests have been found and are about to destroyed, on Portland!

How near you is that?

 

[ericbeaumont]

How near you is that?

Rolande is on Portland and may know more.

 

[rolande]

Rolande is on Portland and may know more.

A local lady put in a report of a sighting a couple of weeks ago but without a photo. Things escalated quickly after I came across the little beast in the photos while attempting to help a permaculture group with an issue on Tuesday.

The two nests were found within 48hours of the inspectors getting on location. Great work by them so far.

 

[The Poot]

How near you is that?

40 minutes by road, twenty as the hornet flies…..

 

[Moobee]

Just wondered what other people are doing in their local BKAs regarding the imminent threat of Asian Hornets gaining a foothold on the UK mainland?
I am a member of our local AHAT group and our main priority has so far been about educating the public to identify any that arrive.

The BBKA doesn't seem to be particularly proactive (IMHO) as there does not appear to be any co-ordinated/joined up thinking with the local associations or the NBU. We don't seem to get alerts in a very timely manner and there is no training available to local teams as to what to do when there is a serious incursion....

Being close to at least one ferry port, which is where they seem to be coming in by hitching a ride on ships from France & the Channel Islands, it frankly scares me that it is only a matter of a time before they are a serious threat to our bees and other pollinators.

Interesting that since I posted this, we’ve had over half a dozen reported incidents and timely alerts to our local associations! Happy that we are getting the updates but concerned about the volume…..
Thinking seriously about buying a Jabeprode trap.

 

[Erichalfbee]

The two nests were found within 48hours of the inspectors getting on location. Great work by them so far.

Good work

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Good work

fair play, it's what they've been good at doing the last few years as long as they don't trip over well intentioned 'helpers' who just get in the way

 

[The Poot]

A local lady put in a report of a sighting a couple of weeks ago but without a photo. Things escalated quickly after I came across the little beast in the photos while attempting to help a permaculture group with an issue on Tuesday.

The two nests were found within 48hours of the inspectors getting on location. Great work by them so far.


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I bet you did a bit of a double take when you spotted it?
I‘ve had traps out for a few days and sadly keep catching our native hornets. I managed to let four out yesterday. Surprisingly few wasps are being trapped and I was going to remove the traps, but will keep them in place now and check more often to release the natives.

 

[rolande]

I bet you did a bit of a double take when you spotted it?
I‘ve had traps out for a few days and sadly keep catching our native hornets. I managed to let four out yesterday. Surprisingly few wasps are being trapped and I was going to remove the traps, but will keep them in place now and check more often to release the natives.

Oddly, I'm pretty certain that there aren't any native hornets left on Portland although I know that they were here in the past. I've definitely not seen one on the island although I do see a fair few just a couple of miles inland.

Regards the double take, you bet right! Despite the lovely lady who made the first sighting taking the time to let me know it was still very much of a wake-up moment when I saw it. I think the thing that'll stay with me about that first AH will be it's sheer speed, getting any photos at all was a bit of a challenge.

What a year it's been on Portland, it started with a pair of rogue badgers causing mayhem and now we have these pests showing up.

 

[manek]

As the local AHT Co-ord, I've been informed of a good quality sighting in Newhaven. Traps have been set. So I've ensured the NBU was notified, and dropped details into my BKA and local Facebook groups. That's the job, I believe...

 

[Darryl]

On the AHT site it states that "it is illegal to capture and release a AH" but is it OK to capture and zap or should one leave it flying so that the AH buster teams can trace the nest? Hopefully not needed in NWUK.

 

[manek]

On the AHT site it states that "it is illegal to capture and release a AH" but is it OK to capture and zap or should one leave it flying so that the AH buster teams can trace the nest? Hopefully not needed in NWUK.

You cannot release a non-native species into the wild. Best thing is to capture and keep it until the AH team arrives. They can then track back to its nest.

Failing that, zap it. But then we don't learn anything, such as: "are there any more of them?"

 

[Darryl]

You cannot release a non-native species into the wild. Best thing is to capture and keep it until the AH team arrives. They can then track back to its nest.

Failing that, zap it. But then we don't learn anything, such as: "are there any more of them?"

That's what I thought. Zap and you kill one, trace the nest and you kill numerous.

 

[Blunt Spike]

Are we to assume that with so many sightings and quite a distance between the confirmed nests that they've finally started to get a foothold on the UK mainland?

What are the predictions on timescales for their eventual spread across England, Wales and possibly lower parts of Scotland, only the Highlands being too cold For them?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Are we to assume that with so many sightings and quite a distance between the confirmed nests that they've finally started to get a foothold

I don't think so - look at the locations, all sounds like cross channel freight hitch hikers to me.

 

[manek]

I don't think so - look at the locations, all sounds like cross channel freight hitch hikers to me.

Could be. Or could be a combination of that, and workers now emerging from secondary nests we didn't know were there.

 

[JamezF]

I don't think so - look at the locations, all sounds like cross channel freight hitch hikers to me.

That was my first thought, certainly.

I notice that on their FB page, the BBKA are admitting to listing unconfirmed sightings as confirmed. I don't personally feel that's very helpful.

James

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I don't personally feel that's very helpful.

when are they ever?