Asian Hornets...

[Erichalfbee]

he speculated that the upsurge of finds in south east England were the result of queens being blown over during some high winds this last spring which were directionally correct for the outbreak being reported.

Jet stream raining hornets as well as cats and dogs

 

[Brian Bush]

The point is the queens will have dispersed last Autumn and set up the colonies this year.
This is not the time to panic or bury our heads in the sand. We have had incursions in other years but seem to have learned little. I believe we and all our organistions need to be pro-active.
The lure of an all expenses paid trip to southern England will be becoming less appealing this year for the Bee Inspection team.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

This is not the time to panic

it seems to be the norm reading a lot of posts on here and on social media in general

 

[fian]

In case someone thinks that the velutin problem is secondary.
Fifth deceased (2nd beekeeper) due to velutin attack. The attack occurred while he was harvesting honey.
https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/notic...avispas-velutinas/00031693049509293218976.htm

 

[JamezF]

it seems to be the norm reading a lot of posts on here and on social media in general

Indeed. In some places it's easy to get the impression of complete hysteria and that people have just stopped thinking rationally (though in some cases that would probably be a novelty anyhow).

There was a letter in the Guardian last week from an AH co-ordinator claiming that DEFRA's position on the risks to humans is disingenuous, apparently because AH stings can result in death, and linking to an article about someone dying after being stung multiple times by V. mandarinia as evidence.

My gut feeling is that as more people become scared of AH the more we will see other hornets, wasps and bees killed by people who decide they can't wait for a positive ID because "they're too dangerous" and "have a go" themselves, potentially spreading toxins around unnecessarily and putting themselves and those around them at risk of injury or death at the same time.

James

 

[JamezF]

Jet stream raining hornets as well as cats and dogs

Just need frogs and fish to get a full house.

James

 

[fian]

Indeed. In some places it's easy to get the impression of complete hysteria and that people have just stopped thinking rationally (though in some cases that would probably be a novelty anyhow).

There was a letter in the Guardian last week from an AH co-ordinator claiming that DEFRA's position on the risks to humans is disingenuous, apparently because AH stings can result in death, and linking to an article about someone dying after being stung multiple times by V. mandarinia as evidence.

My gut feeling is that as more people become scared of AH the more we will see other hornets, wasps and bees killed by people who decide they can't wait for a positive ID because "they're too dangerous" and "have a go" themselves, potentially spreading toxins around unnecessarily and putting themselves and those around them at risk of injury or death at the same time.

James

As you can see in the link of the previous post, we have 5 deaths from velutin bites, the last yesterday from a beekeeper while harvesting honey. If there are no more, it is because our health system has stepped up and with a simple call to 112 (emergency telephone number) you have an ambulance or medicalized helicopter to receive treatment at the first symptoms (standard allergy chart). You spend one day in the hospital performing all kinds of tests to confirm the outbreak of allergy to the velutin sting. Finally, to avoid a second sting, you enter a three-year progressive immunization process in which the dose of velutin venom is increased to moderate the immune response to the poison.

 

[Karol]

As you can see in the link of the previous post, we have 5 deaths from velutin bites, the last yesterday from a beekeeper while harvesting honey. If there are no more, it is because our health system has stepped up and with a simple call to 112 (emergency telephone number) you have an ambulance or medicalized helicopter to receive treatment at the first symptoms (standard allergy chart). You spend one day in the hospital performing all kinds of tests to confirm the outbreak of allergy to the velutin sting. Finally, to avoid a second sting, you enter a three-year progressive immunization process in which the dose of velutin venom is increased to moderate the immune response to the poison.

And this is interesting because?

Hymenoptera of all species have been killing people for as long as people have been walking on two legs. It's a non story. Far more people die each year from wasp stings.

 

[fian]

And this is interesting because?

Hymenoptera of all species have been killing people for as long as people have been walking on two legs. It's a non story. Far more people die each year from wasp stings.

"There was a letter in the Guardian last week from an AH co-ordinator claiming that DEFRA's position on the risks to humans is disingenuous, apparently because AH stings can result in death, and linking to an article about someone dying after being stung multiple times by V. mandarinia as evidence." JamezF
That a government authority does not take a problem rigorously is serious, that some people follow the current is even more serious.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

"There was a letter in the Guardian last week from an AH co-ordinator claiming that DEFRA's position on the risks to humans is disingenuous, apparently because AH stings can result in death, and linking to an article about someone dying after being stung multiple times by V. mandarinia as evidence." JamezF
That a government authority does not take a problem rigorously is serious, that some people follow the current is even more serious.

So the writer couldn't even quote an article that dealt with attacks by Asian hornets but rather by a totally different species? if it wasn't so serious it would be laughable, your argument (same as the quoted correspondent's) is almost as weak as some of the 'facts' you quote at us.

 

[fian]

So the writer couldn't even quote an article that dealt with attacks by Asian hornets but rather by a totally different species? if it wasn't so serious it would be laughable, your argument (same as the quoted correspondent's) is almost as weak as some of the 'facts' you quote at us.

I understand that accustomed to the sensationalism of the British press, some population does not take seriously the issue of velutin. Now, don't underestimate the enemy. It is evident that based on the evolution of the nests, last year there have been some undetected consolidated secondary nests that have produced queens that have managed to hibernate. This is the first step in the expansion of velutina in the United Kingdom.
Do you really want to wait for the first death of a person in England from a velutin bite?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It is evident that based on the evolution of the nests, last year there have been some undetected consolidated secondary nests that have produced queens that have managed to hibernate.

your opinion - dreamt up without any corroborating evidence.
just your usual regurgitation of spurious facts you've dredged from the internet.
And I sincerely doubt a bite from am Asian hornet would kill you (unless the wound got infected)
A sting is another matter, but apparently no worse than any other wasp sting

 

[JamezF]

I suspect that it's only a matter of time before someone in the UK is hospitalised or dies as a result of an AH sting, at which point everything will go absolutely mental regardless of the fact that more people are similarly affected by stings from V. crabro (rare, I bet), wasps or even honey bees. Anaphylaxis is just a bit crap like that; one day, someone is just going to get an unlucky roll of the dice.

Personally I regret the necessity of having to destroy V. velutina when we find them here. Eusocial insects are absolutely amazing creatures and I feel we should remember that they didn't choose to come to our little backwater of an island. They were not sitting halfway around the world, slowly but surely drawing their plans against us. We brought them here, in part as a result of our greed, arrogance and carelessness. It seems to me that the least we should do is deal with the problem responsibly and calmly, respectfully even, rather than going into fits of panic and lashing out at every stripy stinging insect that happens to turn up in our gardens.

(For what it's worth, we have a V. crabro nest under the roof of the bay window in our sitting room this year. I might have tried to discourage them had I noticed the queen investigating the space as a potential new home, but I didn't. So for the time being we give them a bit of space when we're out in that part of the garden, let them get on with their lives and come the winter I'll seal up the entrance properly to stop anything getting in again.)

James

 

[Karol]

"There was a letter in the Guardian last week from an AH co-ordinator claiming that DEFRA's position on the risks to humans is disingenuous, apparently because AH stings can result in death, and linking to an article about someone dying after being stung multiple times by V. mandarinia as evidence." JamezF
That a government authority does not take a problem rigorously is serious, that some people follow the current is even more serious.

So a lay AH co-ordinator's 'opinion' trumps expert reasoning. Sounds about right in this post truth world we now live in. For you to jump on the same conclusion that the UK authorities take a complacent stance on Velutina is another example of post truth s**t stirring which is counter productive. The UK is far from complacent.

 

[fian]

So a lay AH co-ordinator's 'opinion' trumps expert reasoning. Sounds about right in this post truth world we now live in. For you to jump on the same conclusion that the UK authorities take a complacent stance on Velutina is another example of post truth s**t stirring which is counter productive. The UK is far from complacent.

With one difference, here I fight for that complacent attitude to change, maybe and just maybe, the government reflects the complacent attitude that its citizens defend.
Defend that the velutina sting is similar to that of a crab.To defend that the ecological niche of the United Kingdom is different and that velutin could even be beneficial is also a complacent attitude. If you have already changed your mind to an active attitude I am glad.
Although I know that my USC question does not have the referential ranking of Oxford, Cambridge and others. I leave you two posts.
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/15/4/266https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cea.14063

 

[fian]

your opinion - dreamt up without any corroborating evidence.
just your usual regurgitation of spurious facts you've dredged from the internet.
And I sincerely doubt a bite from am Asian hornet would kill you (unless the wound got infected)
A sting is another matter, but apparently no worse than any other wasp sting

According to government data, in 2022 there were no nests in Kent, although there were other years ago. This year 15 sightings have been recorded and 10 nests have been removed in Kent.
Have 10 velutine queens traveled by ferry/train from Calais to Dover? Or is it more likely that a secondary nest has not been detected and 10 queens have managed to hibernate?
Karol does not want to have a complacent attitude and you?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Karol does not want to have a complacent attitude and you?

Who said I was complacent.

 

[fian]

Who said I was complacent.

The reality of the data is still there and you are not going to change it.
As I already indicated in the previous post and you have ignored the complacent attitude, it is to reduce the problem by maintaining:
A. That the venom from a velutina sting can cause death in the same order as any other wasp.
B. That the UK climate is not suitable for an expansion of the velutin in the same order as that which has occurred in France or in the Northwest of Spain.

 

[Skinfaxi]

Hello
Just a thought. Even if you kill all the asian hornets in the uk. More of them will still keep coming over from europe, be it wind direction, ferries etc.
Hopefully the state and population have the resources to find a good solution and keep on with it.
Goodday

 

[fian]

Hello
Just a thought. Even if you kill all the asian hornets in the uk. More of them will still keep coming over from europe, be it wind direction, ferries etc.
Hopefully the state and population have the resources to find a good solution and keep on with it.
Goodday

I believe that the only viable option that does not affect other species is the release of genetically modified velutin drones to make their offspring sterile.