This experiment involves the setting up of ‘Bee Hotels’ and measuring the number of bees that they attract…
…The University of Sussex’s professor Dave Goulson who is leading on the project said, “This is a fun project suitable for anyone including children who have access to an outside space and an interest in encouraging wildlife. If we can get hundreds of volunteers to take part, we will be able to work out how to make bee hotels more effective and so help support our pollinators. Please join us.”…
Having been asked for some more details on this, Andrew Halstead sent the following:
Like most of the rare and declining UK bumblebee spp., the shrill carder bumblebee, often found in coastal areas, needs flower-rich meadows, so is not specifically coastal. Flower rich meadows on farmland have mostly been ploughed up and resown with rye grass, or they are cut more frequently for silage instead of hay. See https://species.nbnatlas.org/species/NHMSYS0000875593 for information about this bee and its UK distribution.
We are fortunate to have in our Division the mine of entomological information that is Andrew.
Varroa Management, a practical guide on how to manage varroa mites in honey bee colonies,
by Kirsty Stainton
137 pages £16. Published by Northern bee Books
I can hear you saying, “Not yet another book on this topic”, but in my opinion this one is rather special. It is beautifully written in simple but comprehensive terms. It begins with a summary of what we all need to know about varroa and its effects on bee colonies. Then it goes on to stress the damage caused by viruses, for which varroa is a vector, for example Deformed Wing Virus, and how varroa spreads viruses through colonies. The book then describes how the number of mites in a colony can be estimated, and what levels should be considered serious enough for action to be taken to reduce the numbers to acceptable levels. In this respect it is interesting that Kirsty’s recent research indicates that a natural mite drop of less than 10 mites a day does not require treatment, a much higher figure than the 2 per day originally recommended by the NBU at least 30 years ago. The miticides familiar to us are described in some detail, and their effectiveness is given in terms of the percentage kill of the mites.
So what is so special about this book? It brings together in simple language all of the essential knowledge regarding varroa that we have ‘picked-up’ over the last 30 or so years, together with most of the commercial miticide products which are available, with very helpful comments on which to use and when to use them. It covers both currently approved insecticides, organic acids and some so-called essential oils.
How many times have we been asked to advise a new beekeeper what to use when treating for varroa? This is not a question for which it is very easy to give a short, swift, accurate, and appropriate answer. I think that this fine book is an ideal answer to questions of this sort. I would describe it as a ‘must buy’ for all new beekeepers, and it would not be out of place on the bookshelf of any experienced beekeeper as a very useful reference book on the topic.
So, at least, have a look in it!
With all the current emphasis on the Asian hornet, we mustn’t forget Varroa!
Dr Kirsty Stainton has worked in many areas of bee research and related subjects. She works as Technical Manager for the National Bee Unit, has performed research for the NBU on invasive pests, Asian Hornet, Small Hive Beetle and honey bee viruses before moving into science communication.
The British Beekeeping Association has substantially re-organised its Asian Hornet website pages to provide easy access to a collection of resources to assist Associations in engaging their local community to help prevent the establishment of the Asian Hornet in the UK.
The pages which can be accessed here – BBKA A H Resources– collect a wide range of materials including: draft press releases and templates for letters; posters and ID sheets, PowerPoint and safety guidance for the public as well as photographs images and videos and other items created by local Associations.
The BBKA has also updated its pages of Resources for AH Teamsuploading a number of new documents specifically aimed at AH Teams including:
The pages include other useful items such as guidance leaflets on AH Monitoring & Trapping and an instruction pamphlet detailing a Method of Tracking the hornets developed in Jersey. A version of this method is used by the NBU to find and destroy Asian hornet nests.
The National Bee Unit has also updated its Asian Hornet Monitoring Factsheetto include information on a small selection of commercially available selective traps that can be used for spring monitoring and guidance on setting up monitoring stations for summer monitoring.
County News – Green Is Good
Surrey AHATs have welcomed the three zone – red, amber and green – traffic-light system adopted by the NBU and BBKA to indicate of AH incursion to an area and the subsequent use of selective mesh traps and bait stations to reduce the impact of trapping on native insects. The March edition of BeeCraft carries an article on the traffic light system, and the reasoning behind the use of selective traps and trapping by Dr Sarah Bunker, author of The Asian Hornet Handbook. Bait stations have important role in monitoring to find hornets, she notes, observing that more and more traps are becoming available. But, beekeepers “need to be aware of the consequences of bycatch and take great care to avoid harming native insects”.
Surrey AHATs are relieved that the majority of the County remains in the Green Zone as the nests found in Oxted in 2023 remain the only AH incursion in the locale.
Call for more AH Verifiers
AHATs still need more local beekeepers to step forward as Verifiers to help in the campaign against the Asian Hornet incursion in the UK.
It’s a key role in each area. Co-ordinators are first point of contact when there is a reported AH sighting (liaising with government agencies and co-ordinating the activities of the Verifiers). But it is the Verifiers that help confirm the potential AH presence – and, where necessary, assisting both agencies and the Co-ordinator in monitoring and trapping.
Many hands make light work, and Surrey Divisions still need volunteers to form a local Verifier network covering their geographical footprint.
“The need for Verifiers is huge”, says Surrey County Co-ordinator, Helen Worwood. “Our County urgently requires more beekeepers to come forward to help fill the team vacancies – some Divisions have a way to go.
“We are encouraging all BKA members who may be interested in helping in the fight against this pest to get in touch with their divisional Co-ordinator for a non-committal chat.”
Surrey’s AHAT Co-ordinators are:
County
Helen Worwood (Epsom)
Division
Croydon:
Anna Slade
Epsom:
John Futcher
Farnham:
Julie Trice
Guildford:
Jonathan Brookhouse
Kingston:
Avis Marshall
Reigate:
Keith Mackie
Weybridge:
Andrew Halstead
Wimbledon:
Gareth Morgan
Members can contact the above by clicking on the blue pins on the BBKA’s online AHAT Map, which enables the public to search for local Coordinators, who are each represented by a blue pin with contact telephone details.
After recently taking Epsom Members on a walk-through of the BBKA’s Asian Hornet Training Exercise (a publicly available education and public awareness tool), John Futcher, the Epsom’s AH Co-ordinator, is encouraging the Association’s beekeeping and non-beekeeping members to spread the word to family and friends and to contact him if they are interested in becoming Verifiers. Email him at: john.futcher@btopenworld.com
Surrey AHAT Budget Request
On Tuesday 12th March, the Trustees of Surrey Beekeepers Association held a special Committee Meeting on Zoom to review the request for funding for planned activities of AH Co-ordinators in 2024.
The Committee received a written paper and heard a presentation by Helen Woodward and Jonathan Brookhouse. The proposed budget covered two major workstreams: Communications & Awareness Raising and Monitoring for Presence of Asian Hornet.
A long and detailed discussion followed. The Committee applauded the work of the AHAT team and acknowledged the need for both the streams of work identified in the budget request. Consideration was given to the role of BBKA in delivering a national strategy and
gaining greater understanding of he extent of existing resources in Surrey – including assessing the amount of AH bait remaining from recent monitoring; how best to employ local Associations’ gazebos, pop ups and banners; and the logistics of centralised buying and distribution.
Trustees expressed concern about the long-term impact of ring-fencing an AH budget on SBKA’s central funds. With a request for more information on AH bait supplies and more detail on certain planned activities, the meeting closed with no firm decision.
Work continues in this space.
Surrey AH Co-ordinators are currently working on plans to hold roadshows at large public events across the county with the aim to generate more eyes looking for AH and knowing how to report sightings. If you are aware of a popular large public event in your locality, please ensure your AH Co-ordinator also knows of it so the AH Team can look to attend as many as possible.
Claire Balla has reported that there are many people on various forums all asking the same thing, so she has asked for someone to write a short note in response to the above question. I hope that she gets plenty of response to this. Here are a few ideas of my own. I think it would be very useful if other members would send in their experience of winter losses, and any ideas of why they occurred.
If you have losses, use your hive records, and memory, to try to determine why they have occurred.
My own suggestions for avoiding hive losses in winter (not in any particular order):
By the end of September assess the stores and, if necessary, top them up so that there are sufficient stores in the hive to last until the following March or April. (40lb total of honey or 50:50 honey/sugar) for a full-size colony..I see no need for feeding during the winter.
Stores should be checked from early March, especially if the temperatures indicate that brood rearing may be starting in earnest. Remember that this is the month when colonies are most likely to starve out, because food stores are being used up rapidly to provide the energy needed for brood rearing.
Make a habit of hefting the hives during the winter period. You will soon get the dangerous ‘light’ feel of a colony in danger of starvation.
Give a thorough inspection of the colony before ‘putting it to bed’ for the winter. Is there a laying queen? Is there a sign of disease? Are there enough new bees for winter? Are there enough bees to keep warm? If the colony looks to be too small, wrap it with insulation at least an inch thick. (I have successfully run colonies through winter, starting with only a single frame of brood). Check the varroa levels (this should have been done in the summer at Varroa treatment times); have you treated for varroa during the year (strictly to the manufacturer’s instructions)?
Two small colonies can be placed side by side, touching each other, the pair then being shrouded with a waterproof sheet, or better still thermal insulation; they will then keep each other warmer than if standing alone.
I think that good beekeeping practices throughout the year will help to avoid winter losses. Currently, there is a lot of emphasis given to avoiding stressing the bees, and I feel that this will probably help them to survive winter.
Keep an eye open for hive damage during the winter, for example leaking hives, and be sure to take the trouble to visit out apiaries for this purpose.
Andrew Halstead has drawn our attention to the Beebase website, where there is a helpful video called ”A hive autopsy – common causes of winter losses”
The BBKA’s held its 2024 Asian Hornet Conference on Saturday 17th February. Beekeepers from around the country logged in on Zoom to attend. They heard presentations from Nigel Semmence, who provided the latest information from the National Bee Unit on AH and measures being taken. There was a report from Alastair Christie on the AH experience in Jersey and what BBKA could learn from it; and a fascinating update from beekeeper, Jackie Aucott, on the recent experiences and monitoring practices “at the sharp end” in Kent.
Martin Smith, eR2 Project Manager, described the process of communication
between AH Coordinators and Verifiers and outlined changes to the way the postholders will be presented within our membership database (ER2) and AH Map (see item below). And Kirsteen Thorn, BBKA’s newly- appointed Outreach Officer, introduced herself and talked about the way she was going to go about her new role.
Kirsteen Thorn
Among the key items to take away from the event were:
There is no clear scientific evidence for an established UK population.
The Government have agreed that we are still in the eradication stage of dealing with any incursion.
The day before the meeting, 3 sites (ESE Kent, SW Kent and Yarn in Yorkshire) were agreed to have thorough spring monitoring implemented up to 5km, as agreed to be highest risk sites for any overwintering queens
The public facing maps on BBKA Website are being updated to display the contact details of AH Coordinators only (see item below). It is hoped this encourages more members to agree to be Verifiers as they should no longer be required to field calls directly from the public.
Analysis of DNA and “relatedness” of 2023 nests should be available at the BBKA Spring Convention.
“We are encouraged that there is no evidence of a UK established population of Asian hornets, says Surrey County AH Co-ordinator, Helen Worwood. “That does not however mean we can fully relax. There is plenty to do to ensure we are as well prepared as we can be for being called to act.”
“We are aware that members with bees in the South-East of our county feel more vulnerable to incursions from Kent, and those with borders to the North feel vulnerable to any drifting down from M2 corridor area. Therefore, we are supporting Croydon BKA in their “spring trapping light” approach.”
Please Note:
If you were unable to attend the live presentation, you can watch the recording by clicking here. The meeting was in 45 – 60-minute sections so you don’t have to watch it all at once!
BBKA Updates AH Co-ordinators and Verifiers roles
The BBKA have recently made some changes to the way in which Asian Hornet Co-ordinators and Verifiers are recorded within our membership database (ER2) and AH Map.
A dramatic rise the number of verifiers (as a result of the significant increase in AH sightings in 2023) led to a cluttered AH Map. This confusing picture, coupled with issues relating to data protection, meant the old methods were no longer fit for purpose.
Going forward, only Co-ordinators will appear on the public facing AH Map. They will be represented by a blue pin. The details of Verifiers will no longer be visible to the public. The BBKA has also clarified the roles of coordinator and verifier.
An AH Co-ordinator’s role is to:
Act as a public point of contact in the local area when a reported sighting of AH is made.
Pass the reported sighting onto one of their team of local verifiers.
Be the local point of contact between government agencies and local verifiers in the case of a confirmed sighting; and to
Report back the results of their investigations.
Having expressed an interest in assisting locally in the investigation of reported sightings of an AH, Verifiers are required to:
Be prepared to provide such assistance in trapping or monitoring as the local AH Co-ordinator may deem necessary.
Provide any assistance that the NBU may request. Such requests will be arranged through the local AH Coordinator.
Verifiers no longer need to take the BBKA’s Asian Hornet Training Exercise to gain the insurance cover (as this is now automatically in place for Registered, Partner or Honorary members (but not ‘local’ members).
AH Update to Standard Insurance
The BBKA has amended its Standard Insuranceto ensure that members are covered for work they might do as part of an Asian Hornet Team. As with the insurance generally, this 11
covers officers and members who are Registered, Partner or Honorary members. It does not cover “local only” members.
Beekeepers should only be involved in tracking activities directed by the NBU and will not be insured if they are practically involved in Asian Hornet nest destruction, this will be undertaken by specialist Pest Controllers appointed by the NBU. Beekeepers involved in tracking hornets or searching for hornet nests in order to protect their bees are NOT insured if:
Climbing ladders, trees or scaling buildings above the height specified in their BBKA policy concerning swarm collection.
Trespassing or entering areas without the landowner’s permission.
Involved in trapping and releasing Asian Hornets (as this is an illegal activity).
Members of the public have NO insurance through the BBKA unless participating in beekeeping activities with BBKA members.
County Updates
Surrey AHAT Budget Request
The Surrey Asian Hornet Action Team has submitted a funding proposal to the Committee of the Surrey Beekeepers Association. The AHAT proposal outlines the issues and current position and requests monies be set aside for its planned activities in 2024 to eradicate and prevent the establishment of the Asian Hornet across Surrey.
The activities fall within two major workstreams:
Communications and Awareness raising in the general public
Monitoring for presence of Asian Hornet.
Depending on how 2024 unfolds, the budget proposal notes that the funds requested may not all be required or used this year but represents the team’s best guestimate of what is needed to raise public awareness and to establish a basic defence strategy to protect the County.
A request for a special meeting of the SBKA Committee has been made and it is hoped to make an announcement of any decisions shortly.
Calling for Co-ordinators and Verifiers
It is vital that all beekeepers are able to identify Asian Hornets. The BBKA has asked every Association to assemble a team of members acting as Co-ordinators and Verifiers to help with local requests for help in identifying Asian Hornets. It is vital that each BKA team establishes good networking so that the nearest team member can answer a call about a potential siting and call for back up if necessary.
“We welcome the new clarity in roles between Co-ordinators and Verifiers and the developments behind the scenes ensuring the public have someone to reach out to if they do see a suspicious looking insect,” Surrey County Co-ordinator, Helen Worwood says. 12
“We would like to get to a position of having 3 co-ordinators per division. Some divisions are there already – but some have a way to go. Please read the role outline and get in touch with your divisional Co-ordinator if you are interested and would like a non-committal chat before volunteering.”
At the BBKA’s Asian Hornet Conference Jackie Aucott, AH Co-ordinator for Dover & District BKA outlined the way in which the AHAT teams in the area have set up a simple but effective AH monitoring process covering a 300km2 from Hythe to Deal. (Click hereto see her presentation),
The team has worked with both beekeepers and non-beekeeping members from a number of Associations in neighbouring areas
The approach divides the monitoring area into 1km2 packets using simple techniques based on the Ordinance Survey App, taped-up OS Maps, a Sellotape ring – and a roaming volunteer who single handedly set and monitored more than 50 traps across the region to fill the gaps! 13
There were 52 AH nests cleared in Kent – 35 in the DDBKA area alone – including 10 nest which probably would have been missed if the approach had not been taken.
Surrey AHATS who have watched the presentation have recognised the value of the approach to monitoring outlined by Jackie.
“We realised in our monitoring exercise last year how much overlap there was in our divisional membership areas,” says Helen Worwood. “A small working party are going to gather with some maps and membership lists to see if we can prepare a 1km2 grid plan for monitoring. So that we are ready for any alert that comes in across Surrey this summer.”
Any Cartophiles out there? Helen would love to hear from you to join this working party. Email her at: helenworwood@ntlworld.com
Local Update – Epsom
Epsom Members attending February’s Club Meeting were treated to a discussion led by John Futcher, Epsom AH Co-ordinator, on the Asian Hornet and the latest updates on the work being done to monitor and contain its spread.
John also took Members in a walk-through of the BBKA’s Asian Hornet Training Exercise. (The training exercise is publicly available as an education and public awareness tool – so members were encouraged to spread the word to family and friends.)
John is calling out to both beekeeping and non-beekeeping members to contact him if they are interested in becoming Epsom Verifiers assisting him locally in the investigation of reported sightings of an Asian Hornet. Email him at: john.futcher@btopenworld.com
Thanks to everyone who put out monitoring stations last year – they should have been taken in by the middle of November, by which time any queens put out by mature nests were mated and hibernating ready for the next spring, most within 200m of the nest. (We need to start monitoring again in February. Please contact Michael Main or David Parker for the bait.)
Asian hornets are adaptable and hardy. The queens are expected to start to emerge to search for food and initiate embryo/primary nests when the temperature gets to at least 13 degrees for 3 consecutive days. This gets them out and about before our native vespas and gives us a great window to start trapping with a much-reduced chance of by-catch, but as we head into the warmer times in late February to March, the risk of by-catch increases and must be planned for.
In Surrey we do not recommend trapping this spring. Until AH nests have been found in our vicinity, and confirmed as such by DEFRA or the NBU, the chances of catching an AH queen is approaching zero and the risks to native hornets, wasps and pollinator species are not worth taking. The nearest nests to us were found in Oxted, but this is in a Kent BKA area and they are taking advice from DEFRA/NBU.
Once we are in the situation that spring trapping becomes a necessity, maybe even as soon as later this month, it is recommended that we follow the extremely successful path that Jersey has taken by placing baited traps, with escape holes for smaller species, at regular intervals across areas likely to be in the vicinity of hibernating queens, and to check these traps daily to release by-catch. Uncontrolled trapping may have a significant detrimental impact on local biodiversity – just the situation we are trying to prevent by controlling the spread of Asian hornets. This year’s BBKA Asian Hornet Conference is taking place online on the 17th February. During the day there will be a briefing from DEFRA/FERA regarding the incursions last year, which should, we hope, give some clarity on whether we have established colonies of AHs in England. There will also be some direction regarding policy and planning for the 2024 season and where the BBKA fits in. With our first credible AH sighting of a lone hornet having happened on the 24th January near Hastings, it does concentrate the mind, and we should all be turning our thoughts to how we can prepare for the season ahead.
Julie Trice, Farnham
National Updates from DEFRA
Last year ended with a total of 78 confirmed Asian Hornet nests in 56 locations. In the main, nests were clustered in the Southeast of England – especially in Kent. The nest nearest to Surrey was found in Oxted. It was destroyed at the beginning of September.
Live data from the National Bee Unit (NBU) can be found on this link: Asian Hornet Map. (Just tick the year you wish to view; the map generally opens with confirmed sightings from 2022.)
Lone AH Sighting in Hastings
On 19th January DEFRA reported a credible sighting of a lone Asian Hornet in Hastings, (confirmed 24th January).
An Inspector from the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) National Bee Unit responded to a call from a member of the public who made the discovery in the footwell of their car.
Despite searching the area, we have been unable to locate a sample. Hastings is a relatively small but busy port, so it could be:
a) An AH hitchhiker from a boat from Europe.
b) An overwintered queen wasp or
c) A European hornet.
We are waiting for confirmation. Although it was not expected to find AH flying this early in the year, local volunteer AHATs have been alerted to monitor their local area of Hastings for AHs.
BBKA AH Updates
BBKA appoints AH Outreach Officer
The BBKA has announced it has appointed Kirsteen Thorne as its first Outreach Officer for Asian Hornet. Kirsteen previously worked as a journalist, presenter and radio producer for BBC Radio Norfolk and the regional BBC ‘Look East’ programme.
Initially, Kirsteen will be focused on raising the profile of the threat of AH and implementing the BBKA outreach plan to engage with a wide variety of target audiences and organisations. She will also help identify and develop the resources needed by the BBKA’s associations to support their local awareness campaigns. Kirsteen can be contacted at: outreach.officer@bbka.org.uk.
NB: The BBKA has held its first Asian Hornet Committee meeting and agreed its next actions. The Committee is Chaired by Luke Whyatt, a newly elected BBKA Trustee.
BBKA Asian Hornet Conference 2024
The BBKA has released more information on this year’s Asian Hornet Conference. The event will be held on Zoom, from 10am to 12.30pm, on Saturday 17th February.
The following talks and speakers have been confirmed:
• “An Update From the NBU.”
Nigel Semmence, the NBU’s Contingency Planning and Science Officer, will report on the latest information on AH and measures being taken.
Nigel gave a National Honey Show lecture in October 2023, which is available to watch on the National Honey Show YouTube Channel: National Honey Show UK Videos.
• An Update on Jersey and what BBKA could learn from the Jersey Experience.”
Alastair Christie, Invasive Species Officer at the Environment Department in the Government of Jersey will give a talk on the ways in which the “hornet landscape” has changed on the island and how techniques for controlling them have evolved and been refined
In post as Jersey’s Asian Hornet Coordinator since 2019, Alastair has built up considerable experience of the AH. In 2023, Jersey’s teams found a record 339 nests – up from 174 in 2022. His talk will bring us up to date on what happened in 2023 in Jersey, and lessons learnt.
The BBKA will post more details about the Conference on its website here.
BBKA AH Briefings
You can still catch up on the series of Special Briefings by Andrew Durham by clicking on the following
The Monitoring plan we put in place in late September has now ended. With daily temperatures regularly dipping below 12°C, there really is little chance of Asian Hornets still flying
However, now the leaves are dropping there is still the chance of nests being spotted – so please do continue to use the Asian hornet Watch app to report suspicious nests.
We are working on a proposal for countywide monitoring to be taken to the committee of Surrey BKA for discussion and agreement in early February.
Please continue to encourage everyone you know to download the “Asian Hornet Watch” app and become familiar with what Asian Hornets look like.
The App is free to download for Android via Google Play or iOS via Apple Store.
What else can BKA Members do? Well considering the lone AH that was sighted in Hastings, why not check your vegetables arriving from around the World!
Next February may well be of great importance to us all.
Asian hornet 2024
Thank you to everyone who put out lures to monitor for Asian hornet in the autumn. We can rest during the winter but overwintered queens could be active as early as mid February next year. We all need to be alert from late winter to late autumn. Below is a timetable for trapping and/or monitoring in 2024.
Asian hornet queens could be active in your locality from mid February-late March when they seek out suitable nest sites and build the initial nests in which the first broods of worker hornets will be raised. Use traps with a bait attractant placed in a sunny spot. Unwanted by-catch of other insects is likely to be small at that time of year because lower temperatures limit insect activity. Retain any Asian hornets that are caught and report the finding, using the free Asian Hornet Watch app [Asian Hornet Reporting | British Beekeepers Association (bbka.org.uk)] or notify the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology online.
All Surrey Beekeepers Association divisions have purchased a bait attractant for use by their members and other interested persons. Weybridge members can get supplies from Michael Main (Weybridge) or David Parker (Horsell).
From April to November, monitored lure baits can be used. These do not capture Asian hornets or other insects, so there is no by-catch. Place the lure bait in a sunny place where it can be frequently observed, eg by a kitchen window. If Asian hornets visit the lure, get a photograph or capture a specimen and report the finding as above. Also look for Asian hornets when you visit your beehives. See Asian Hornet Monitoring (nationalbeeunit.com for instructions for making a simple lure bait device.
April-May is likely to be a quiet time for seeing Asian hornets. The experience in the Channel Islands is that sightings of worker hornets start to increase from June onwards.
Asian hornets are unlikely to be seen from mid November to early February, so trapping/monitoring is not worthwhile in that period.
If you have not yet taken the simple Asian hornet test on the BBKA website [Asian Hornet Exercise (google.com)] please do so now. You will then be covered by the BBKA public liability insurance if you are asked to check out a reported Asian hornet sighting or if you are assisting the bee inspectors with a search for a nest.
Hampshire Beekeepers Association Asian Hornet Conference 11 Nov 2023
The meeting was attended by about 100 Asian Hornet Action Team leaders in a packed village hall in Itchen Abbas. Among them was a delegation from the Isle of Wight, who were wearing their AHAT jackets. These have a picture of the beast on the back with the slogan ‘’See it, snap it, app it’’, the app being the Asian hornet app for reporting sightings that can be downloaded onto smart phones.
At the time of the meeting, there had been 71 nests found in 55 locations, mainly in coastal areas in south east England but some as far north as Yorkshire. Most were tracked down within a day or two of Asian hornets (Ah) being reported. An area of densely scrubbed steep undercliff near Folkstone, where 7 nests were ultimately found, proved particularly challenging.
Honeybees form a large part of the Ah diet but they also prey on a wide range of other insects. In one study, the diet was found to be made up of 38% honeybees, 30% flies, 20% wasps and 12% other insects. If Ah becomes established here, it will have a significant effect on insect biodiversity and the pollination services provided by a wide range of insects. Ah is not just a problem for beekeepers and this needs to be brought to the attention of the public.
The Hampshire Beekeepers Association (HBA) has been developing their plans to deal with Ah. The current level of support from The National Bee Unit is unlikely to continue if Ah incursions continue to rise. The control of Ah nests is not a statutory duty for local or County Councils. Beekeepers need to develop a network of trained competent people to form AHATs with a leader, deputy and at least 8 other people. Currently only licenced people can undertake track and trace operations to locate Ah nests. Without a licence it is illegal to release an Ah. The licencing system needs to be extended to a wider range of people so that beekeepers and other trained persons can do track and trace operations, as is currently being done in the Channel Islands. HBA has developed an app to aid communication between its AHAT members and recording of Ah reports. Technical problems prevented it being demonstrated at the meeting
Members of AHATs have various roles. They receive and investigate reports of possible Ah sightings in their area. Most reports are of European hornet and other non Ah insects. Weeding out these false reports reduces the number of reports sent to the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (more than 18,000 in 2023!). If a sighting is confirmed, AHAT members may be asked to assist the bee inspectors who will be leading the search for the nest(s). After the nest(s) have been controlled, bait monitoring for Ah needs to continue in the area to make sure that there are no more undetected nests. AHAT members (all beekeepers, in fact) should have monitoring bait lures positioned near a window through which they can easily view the bait from spring to autumn in order to detect the possible presence of Ah. Information about the Ah problem needs to be widely disseminated through talks to local organisations and displays at public events
One speaker gave an account of how his beekeeping in France had changed once Ah became common in his area. He had not lost any colonies but honey production had been reduced. Six Ahs outside a hive can reduce bee foraging by 50%; with 12 Ahs it comes to a halt. Serious predation and harassment of bee colonies by Ah starts in June as the nests build up in strength. As a consequence, it is spring flowers that provide most of the year’s honey crop. Strong colonies of healthy bees with young queens are needed to survive Ah predation. The speaker changes his brood combs every year and keeps Varroa at a low level. Swarm control is essential to maintain bee numbers in a hive. During the summer, feeding with syrup and pollen substitute may be needed if foraging is being prevented. It helps to cluster hives together so the predator pressure is shared among the colonies. Hive inspections are reduced during the summer. When necessary, hives are opened in early morning or evening when there are fewer Ahs about.
Methods of marking Ah workers for track and trace operations were illustrated. This can be done in a similar manner to marking queen honeybees. Licenced persons can release marked Ahs, noting the direction of their departure with the aid of a compass. The time of departure and return of marked Ahs is also recorded, with the aid of a stopwatch. Every minute an Ah is away from the bait lure indicates a flight journey of about 100m. Once Ahs have been recorded using the bait station, it can be moved about 100m in the direction of the flight line. Other bait station operators are doing similar checks in the area. Where the flight lines intersect indicates the likely search area for the nest(s). An experienced tracker can monitor the activity of as many as 8 marked Ahs. Once a nest has been located, pest control operatives are called in to spray insecticide into the nest in the evening. Nests are often high up in trees, which may require the use of a cherry picker lift, which can cost £250-500 to hire. The nest is recovered and sent away for analysis to see whether it had reached the stage where next year’s queens had developed
Asian hornet nests have been found in England in every year since 2016. Up until this year, it has been 1-5 nests a year, all of which are believed to have been controlled before next year’s queens were produced. 2023 has been a wake-up call to the reality of the invasion of Britain by Ah. It is likely that 2024 will see more queens getting across the English Channel by various means to add to any home-grown queens from this year’s nests. We must be ready to set up monitor lures from early spring, when queens emerge, until the autumn (free supplies of bait are available from Michael Main and David Parker). We must also spread the word about Ah so non beekeepers are able to recognise it and know what to do if they see one.
The free ‘Asian Hornet Watch’ app is available to download from the Apple and Android app stores.
Members of the public can also report sightings by email to alertnonnative@ceh.ac.uk with a photo or on the Non-native Species Secretariat website.
The Great Britain Non-native Species Secretariat is a joint venture between Defra, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government to tackle the threat of invasive species. More information can be found on their website http://www.nonnativespecies.org/home/index.cfm
Achievements by our members (in alphabetical order) were as follows:
Claire Balla
Class 89 Interesting or instructive exhibit – 3rd
Geoff Cooper
Class 89 Interesting or instructive exhibit – HC
Class 235 1 jar light or medium honey gift – C
Marion Cooper
Class 94 Skep – HC (9 entries)
Class 127 Honey sultana and cherry cake – 3rd (31 entries)
Class 128 Date cake – 4th (27 entries)
Class 130 Honey biscuits – 3rd (19 entries)
Andrew Halstead
Open Class 31 2 jars crystallised honey – 3rd (24 entries)
Surrey classes:
Class 224 2 jars crystallised honey – 3rd (6 entries)
Class 225 2 jars liquid honey, any colour – 3rd (6 entries)
Class 235 1 jar light or medium honey gift – HC (7 entries)
Class 237 1 jar crystallised honey gift – 2nd (3 entries)
Jane Hunter
Class 129 Tray bake – HC
Jonathan Kernan
Class 111 2 jars medium honey – 4th
David Parker
Class 41 container cut comb – 2nd
Class 160 2 containers cut comb – 2nd
Class 223 2 jars dark honey (Surrey) -1st
Class 224 2 jars crystallised honey (Surrey) -1st
Class 227 2 containers cut comb (Surrey) – 1st
Class 228 I frame suitable for extraction – VHC 3
If any of the above results are incorrect or if any have been omitted – please accept my apologies and let me know, so that I can publish the corrections next month.
I make no apology for mentioning this subject yet again. The threat is coming closer by the day, although I should mention that the NBU members who are actively working in Kent do not consider the situation to be all doom and gloom on this; they say it is partly the usual dramatic news-type reporting that is giving this impression.
For this edition of the Newsletter I have been pleased to receive numerous contributions on this topic. Many of them obviously contain similar material so there is some replication – let this serve as emphasis!
On 28th September we were all sent an email by Michael Main on behalf of our Asian Hornet Team (AHT). It contained the monthly SBKA Newsletter from Keith Mackie, Surrey BKA Asian Hornet Team Lead. Keith’s earlier reports have been reproduced in previous editions of our Newsletter. I would encourage everyone to look again at this email as it contains useful information sources but also outlines some suggested jobs that our members may be able to do.
Up to 29th September the National Bee Unit has reported finding 60 Asian hornet nests in 47 locations. Two sightings and nests have been found only 19 miles (in a straight line) from our Weybridge Beekeepers’ area.
These were found in Oxted, near Reigate.
So the situation is now getting very serious for us as well as the rest of the southeast area.
If you have not seen the NBU map of the nests found on the South Coast, do have a look; it can be viewed via the Asian Hornet App. The map is not always quite up to date, but the sightings are given several times a week. If it’s new to you, you will be rather shaken by the numbers of (found/destroyed) nests.
We must do all that we can to delay the hornet from becoming established in our area for as long as possible. This means looking out for them, and making our friends, neighbours and others aware of this very serious threat to them (potential severe stings), and our bees as well as the rest of the insect population. The sting of an Asian Hornet in nearly 6mm long, about twice that of a wasp.
I would also strongly suggest that you put one of our Asian Hornet information notices on your front door, or on the nearside rear window of your car (better still both places). If every beekeeper in the UK did this, it would assist the public awareness of the coming hornet almost beyond measure. 2
Bait Stations
I would encourage every one of you to put a bait station in a suitable place close to your house or office, where you can conveniently and regularly see if it has attracted any hornets. See below for details of a very simple bait station that is cheap and easy to set up.
Record your Bait Station on the website
When you start using a bait station, please record this in the Members’ Area of the Weybridge Beekeepers website by logging in, as usual, then going to the top, right corner, where you will see ‘Howdy’ and your name. Click on that, then on ‘Edit profile’. Under ‘Account management’ go to ‘Bees’ and record your bait station in the appropriate space there. Your site will appear as a green flag on the map and others as blue ones. Recording is important as it will make it possible to see areas currently without bait stations so that these can be provided.
David Parker, WBK Webmaster
Asian Hornet Bait Stations
These are very simple devices using a honey jar containing a commercially produced syrup that is an attractant to the hornets (and wasps), but not bees. They are used to see if there are any hornets in the area. They are not intended to kill or trap the hornets. The idea is to place them in a convenient place where they can be watched regularly to see if any Hornets come to feed at the station. Have a camera handy. Once the hornets find the bait, they will return regularly, and so they can be photographed, and the NBU notified. There is virtually no chance of being stung at a bait station as the insects are too occupied with their work of feeding on the bait material to be bothered with humans when their nest is not under threat.
A photo of one type of bait station using a takeaway food container was shown in the September newsletter, but a simpler one that uses less bait has been devised. You can either make your own (see Michael Main’s article below) or collect one ready made from him. He also has a supply of recommended bait syrup – please take a suitable empty bottle, e.g. a 1-litre drinks bottle. No charge will be made for either of these items as WBK are supplying them.
Do spend a few minutes on this very important job of setting up the stations, and regularly looking at them daily; you may be the first to find a hornet in our area, and have the pleasure of knowing that you have been instrumental in postponing its establishment here for a year or even longer.
Note from Andrew Halstead’s article below the great importance of finding nests before the new queens emerge from them at this time of the year.
Geoff Cooper
More on Bait Stations
In Autumn when there are lots of insects flying it is best to use baited monitoring stations rather than traps to avoid killing hundreds of other insects as well as the hornets. These bait stations are easily made using a 1lb honey jar with a hole drilled in the lid; a hole that is half an inch / just over 1cm works well. The jar is filled with the syrup bait and a wick of a piece of J-cloth or kitchen paper is inserted through the hole into the bait. This enables the insects to take the bait from above the lid without drowning in the liquid. It also slows down the evaporation of the bait. See photos on the next page. The insects regularly return to the station and can easily be photographed. It is also wise to check in what direction they arrive from and leave to. It is best to spend 5-10 minutes in the morning and evening watching these stations as that is the time most foraging takes place. As mentioned above, bait is available from me and I also have a stock of lids that Geoff has drilled to use with 1lb honey jars; more can be prepared if needed.
Michael Main
Asian hornet – urgent
As the number of Asian hornet nests found so far in England far exceeds those of previous years, it is vital that beekeepers look for Asian hornets around their hives and in other places, such as on fallen ripe fruits and ivy flowers, that are likely to attract this insect. Prompt discovery and reporting will allow the nest(s) to be found and destroyed before next year’s queens are produced.
A call to action, which is being shared with all Surrey divisions, is included in Keith Mackie’s October Newsletter, which has been sent to all members, as mentioned above. Please read it and take action.
Note that the hornets shown feeding on the bait syrup at a wick lure trap in my garden (left) are European, not Asian hornets; on Geoff’s (right) there are only wasps.
The ingredients of the bait are a trade secret but a company representative has said that it contains food grade materials. From the smell of the bait, I suspect that one of the ingredients is cider vinegar. The Surrey divisions have made a bulk purchase of this hornet attractant; details of how to obtain this are in Michael’s article, above. Surrey BKA are also looking into making a bulk purchase of traps – more information to follow.
Andrew Halstead
Asian Hornet traps – What traps should be used and when?
In Spring when there are not many insects flying, but queens are coming out of hibernation, traps can be used. These can either be the home-made ones using a 2 litre drinks bottle, instructions on the BBKA website, or purchased ones, a stock of which we are hoping to have before the spring and which will be available at cost. They do need checking daily to release any non-hornet insects (the bycatch).
In autumn, monitored bait stations are more appropriate than traps, as described above.
Michael Main
An important reminder regarding Asian Hornets
Asian hornet nests, like those of the European hornet and other social wasps will die out in the autumn/early winter. Before that happens, the nests will produce next year’s queens and they get mated. These young queens will disperse from the nest and overwinter in various sheltered places. In early spring these queens will become active and will try to establish new nests.
The strategy against Asian hornets is to detect their presence as soon as possible, so the Bee Inspectors locate the nest(s), which are then destroyed. This needs to happen before next year’s queens are produced, so there is a real need for urgency in this matter.
Andrew Halstead
Asian hornet likely to have become established in UK, say experts
Despite what is written here, we should maintain our efforts to locate and report findings in our area. By doing this we could well give ourselves a few more Hornet-free years.
