Page 30 - ALG Issue 4 2023

bees
Beekeepers Call On The Public
to Help Fight Record Asian
Hornet Invasion
The British Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA) is calling on the public to help fight a major threat to honeybees
and other pollinators: Asian hornets. Numbers of the destructive insect are rising rapidly this summer and more have been detected in the UK this year than in the previous six years combined.
BBKA Chair, Diane Drinkwater, said:
“At this early stage of the Asian hornet season, which goes on into the autumn, it is extremely worrying to see so many cases and so early. We must act now to stop them from getting established in this country. Reports from Europe and Jersey indicate that this is an exceptional year for Asian hornets with record numbers of queens and nests. We urge the public to join forces with beekeepers to protect our honeybees and other pollinators from this voracious predator.”
More than 1,000 beekeepers across the country are part of elite teams trained to provide emergency support to the National Bee Unit’s (NBU) hornet hunters. Hornet sightings are filtered by the NBU (part of Defra) and teams of bee inspectors are deployed to track hornets back to their nests, which are then destroyed.
But the help of the eagle-eyed public
is essential to spot the hornets, which may be devouring insects or feeding on fallen fruit or ivy flowers. This summer, beekeeper Mick Brian discovered an
reasons behind this huge rise in cases: “The fact that we seem to have a cluster around the coast in Kent, also Dorset, Plymouth, Weymouth and Hampshire makes me think they are coming across on the wind. And there could have been an overwintered nest in Kent which
has sent out hibernating queens in the autumn.”
It is important to take care not to approach or disturb a nest. Asian hornets are not generally aggressive towards people but an exception to this is when they perceive a threat to their nest. People who suspect they have seen an Asian hornet should report
it immediately using the phone app ‘Asian Hornet Watch’ or the online reporting form using the following link: https://risc.brc.ac.uk/alert. php?species=asian_hornet
Asian hornet in his garden in Plymouth which eventually led to the destruction of two nests: “We watched in stunned silence as the insect singled out a honeybee, carried it to a nearby leaf and began to dissect it.”
Just one Asian hornet can hunt down 30 honeybees a day and their habit of hawking (hovering) outside the hive stops the bees from collecting nectar and pollen to feed themselves.
Diane added: “Asian hornets are wreaking havoc in Europe and we fear if they get a foothold in the UK our honeybees and many other insects will be decimated here, too. They are the greatest threat to beekeeping since the Varroa mite was discovered more than 30 years ago.”
BBKA trustee Julie Coleman, who lives in Kent, where many of the hornets discovered this year have been found, said there are likely to be several
Just one Asian hornet can hunt down 30 honeybees a day.
ABOUT ASIAN HORNETS
(VESPA VELUTINA):
• As of 10.8.23, there have been 23 confirmed Asian hornets, including 15 nests in 2023 and other active investigations are ongoing.
• See the NBU Asian hornet rolling news page for latest status.
• The UK is in the eradication phase of the contingency response and all nests are being tracked and killed rapidly.
• All hornets caught along with the contents of the nests are being analysed for relatedness to determine if there is any evidence of an established population in the UK.
• To date there is no evidence of an established population in the UK.
• Reports from Europe and Jersey indicate that it is an exceptional hornet year and record numbers of queens and nests are being seen.
• Asian hornets are slightly smaller than native European hornets, have a distinctive black/dark brown thorax; brown abdominal segments with the fourth segment almost entirely yellow- orange, brown legs with yellow ends, a black head and an orange-yellow face.
• A report by scientists puts the cost of the Asian hornet invasion in France at €30.8 million annually.
• Scientists report that Asian hornets have a serious and detrimental impact on pollinators and pollination services.
Asian hornets
(Vespa velutina)
are slightly smaller than native European hornets, have yellow legs, an orange face and brown body with one yellow stripe.
30 Allotment and Leisure Gardener