Thank you to members who have collected empty Bonne Maman conserve jars (not their compot jars), which will be used to make live capture Asian hornet monitoring traps. If we are to have enough jars to monitor every one-kilometre square in our part of Surrey, we will need about 250 jars so more are needed. Asda and possibly other supermarkets use similar jars for their own brand conserves, so they can also be used. The critical dimension is a 73mm internal diameter at the top of the jar where a plastic insert can be placed to complete the trap. Ask your friends and neighbours if they have jars of this type.
Asian hornet sightings are likely to increase during September-October as nests reach full strength. You can keep track of the current situation by going to the National Bee Unit website https://www.nationalbeeunit.com/about-us/beekeeping-news/asian-hornet-2024-rolling-update
This item came via Andrew Halstead in his role as Asian Hornet Coordinator for our Division. Please keep the jars until requested.