Friday 13 October 2017
An Asian hornet nest has been found today near the Longfrie Inn in St Peter's.
Agriculture, Countryside and Land Management Services (ACLMS) had received further, confirmed, Asian hornet sightings in the vicinity this week. The nest was found by local beekeeper Damian Harris, who has been monitoring the area and looking for signs of a nest along with other members of the Guernsey Beekeeper's Association as well as ACLMS staff.
The nest is relatively small, about the size of a football and is approximately 9ft above ground level, very well hidden in an evergreen hedge. It is being treated this afternoon and will be removed next week. ACLMS wishes to thank members of the public and the Guernsey Beekeepers Association for their assistance with hornet sightings so far and asks them to remain vigilant.
A further unconfirmed sighting has been received this week from Hautgards Lane in the Vale, which adds to the other reported but unconfirmed sightings from the north of the island. ACLMS is concerned that there may be a nest in the north of the island and wishes to appeal to all land and property owners living in the Vale and St Sampson's to please check all trees, hedges, outbuildings, attic spaces and walls for signs of a nest as soon as possible and report anything of concern to aclms@gov.gg, or telephone 234567. Queen hornets leave their nests to overwinter at this time of year; any queens which survive the winter will go on to build new nests next year. It is important that any nests are found as soon as possible.
Information about the Asian hornet and Asian hornet nests is available from the National Bee Unit's website: http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/index.cfm?pageid=208 (paper copies available from Raymond Falla House). There is a short video clip of an Asian hornet on gov.gg/asianhornet as well as downloadable PDF documents which highlight the differences between the Asian hornet and other similar looking species.
Anyone finding an Asian hornet is asked to photograph the insect if possible, note the location and watch it long enough to determine the direction of travel as this may be helpful in finding a nest site. Any trapped Asian hornets can be delivered to the Plant Health lab at Raymond Falla House, Burnt Lane, where it will be determined whether they are queens or workers.
Sightings can also be reported through the 'Asian Hornet Watch' app, which is free to download from the App Store. Any sightings in Alderney and Sark should be reported to the States of Alderney or Sark Government offices.
