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NSBK Blog

asian hornet

29/9/2016

2 Comments

 

Asian Hornet

Vespa velutina or the Asian hornet, also known as the yellow legged hornet, is native to Asia and was confirmed for the first time in Lot-et-Garonne in the South West of France in 2004. It was thought to have been imported in a consignment of pottery from China and it quickly established and spread to many regions of France. The hornet preys on honeybees, Apis mellifera harming beekeeping activities. It has also altered the biodiversity in regions where it is present and is potentially deadly to allergic people. All beekeepers should remain vigilant and be on the look out for it in their apiaries.  For identification use the button below:
Asian Hornet (Poster)
If you think you have seen an Asian hornet, please notify the Great British Non Native Species Secretariat alert email address at [email protected] immediately. Additionally, you can report sightings on their website (http://www.nonnativespecies.org//alerts/index.cfm?id=4). As well as this function, the website provides a great deal of information about the wide ranging work that is being done to tackle invasive species and tools to facilitate those working in this area.
2 Comments
Anne Rowberry
7/9/2019 19:12:15

Great to see you are advertising the Asian Hornet
Just a couple of points. It is in the wasp family and is not a bee. The impact will be on ALL pollinators including Bumblebees. It does target bees but an individual hornet is not aggressive to people when it is feeding or foraging BUT will defend its nest and it would be dangerous to get too close and certainly if the nest is ‘attacked’ eg when strumming bramble bushes or clearing scrub.
Please carry on getting people involved in being vigilant.
Thanks
Anne

Reply
Adrian
20/10/2019 12:26:03

Testing
V. velutina feeds on many different insects being an opportunist hunter. However, hawking at potential regular food sources such as bee hives is a sensible stratagem. One French bee keeper that I spoke to, even with a nest above a hive, thought that the European Hornet (V. crabro) was a greater threat to his bees!
Their behavior should not be confused with the Japanese hornet (V. mandarinia japonica) which actively searches out honey bees, and attacks hives in large numbers.

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  • Home
  • About Us
  • Latest News
    • Our Blog
    • Social Media Pages
    • Club Newsletters
    • Committee Meeting Minutes
  • Events & Courses
  • Members Section
    • Introduction
    • Apiary Rota
    • Become a Member
    • Membership Renewal
    • Group Purchase Scheme
    • Extractor hire
    • Members Facebook Group
    • Christmas supper
    • Hive Record Card
  • Education & Advice
    • For Beekeepers
    • Children, Youth groups and schools
    • Teachers and Youth group leaders
    • Seasonal Advice
    • LibraryBooks
  • Swarm Collection
  • Contact Us
  • Committee Meeting Minutes
  • Policies