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Three nests identified

Three nests identified

Saturday 14 September 2024

Three nests identified

Saturday 14 September 2024


Three asian hornet nests have been found over the past week - with two being removed on Thursday evening by specialist handlers.

The most prominent one - at the South Esplanade - needed the road to be closed while it was dealt with after the tea time rush hour had seen office workers leave the area.

The island's Asian Hornet Team then moved on to Les Violets in the Forest where the second nest this week was treated.

The third is near Bulwer Avenue.

The Asian Hornet Team said it would be dealt with as soon as possible as the road doesn't need to be closed for them to access it. 

asian hornets

Pictured: The destruction and removal of the nest from the top of an oak tree outside the Credit Suisse offices required a temporary road closure to allow the deployment of a cherry picker to Les Echelons.

The St Peter Port nest was located following reports of Asian hornets at a number of locations in town during August.

The Asian hornet team managed to successfully track worker hornets back to the nest near the Credit Suisse offices using strategically placed bait stations.

This discovery marked the start of a busy period with the next two nests successfully tracked down in the past week too.

Francis Russell, Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) Policy & Coordination Officer, said three nests in a week may seem like a lot, but it is a good sign.

“Since August, we have found three of these hornet nests and dealt with two in the same evening. By the end of autumn last year, we had removed a total of 14 nests so to have only found three so far is good news," he said.

"Plans are underway to tackle the nest near Bulwer Avenue which is situated in a pine tree.

"We’re very grateful for the professional support we received from the Civil Protection volunteers and Treevolution. Without their help and expertise, we wouldn’t have been able to secure the area, access this nest and remove it without any risk to the public.”

asian hornets

Pictured: Nests have been found at Les Echelons, Les Villets, and Bulwer Avenue.

Mr Russell said the removal of the most recent nests was only possible after worker hornets were spotted in residents’ gardens, one feasting on fallen pears and the other attracted to banana flowers.

It is very encouraging that the public are aware of these invasive insects and know what to do when they see one, he said.

As autumn approaches, the Asian Hornet Team wants to remove any remaining nests across the island as they will trigger a new generation of queens if they are not dealt with.

A large secondary nest is capable of producing as many as 800 queens which would then hibernate on the island over the winter causing further problems for the following year.

Anyone who spots a hornet at this time of year, should not kill it, but instead take a picture and observe the direction it flies in before reporting this information to the Asian hornet team by calling 07839 197082 or emailing asianhornet@gov.gg.

The team will use this information to attract hornets onto bait stations and track them back to the nest.

For more information on how to identify an Asian hornet, visit gov.gg/asianhornet.

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