First Asian Hornet captured this year

Friday 17 April 2020

An Asian Hornet has been captured after it was found on the window of a property in Damouettes Lane.

Since the middle of March, staff working for Agriculture, Countryside & Land Management Services have been busy setting up an island-wide project to trap queen Asian hornets as they emerge from hibernation in the spring or arrive here from further afield.

The “Spring Queening” project, now in its second year, is part of a strategy aimed at reducing the risks posed by the invasive, non-native Asian hornet and restricting the growth of their population in Guernsey.

The Asian Hornet Team have delivered a total of 270 specially baited traps, spaced approximately 500m apart, and covering the whole of Guernsey. The traps are being regularly checked by volunteers in an attempt to capture as many of these spring queens as possible.

With the prolonged periods of sunshine and recent increase in temperature, the Asian Hornet Team predicted that the traps would start picking up hornets over the Easter weekend.

Pictured: The inside of a dissected hornet nest.

On Saturday 11 April the first queen Asian hornet of 2020 was confirmed in Guernsey. It was captured on the window of a property off Damouettes Lane, St Peter Port.

It is not uncommon for hornets to be attracted into buildings during the early spring as this is the time that queens start looking for places to make their nests. At this time of year the public are reminded to check sheds and outbuildings for possible primary nests which are round, pale brown and range between the size of a golf ball and a grapefruit.

Francis Russell, Project Coordinator of the Asian Hornet Strategy, said: “We are pleased that public continue to support us in our work and remain aware of the real possibility that Asian hornets could become established on Guernsey.”

“We cannot emphasise enough the important role played by members of the public in reporting potential Asian hornet sightings or looking out for small nests made by the queens at this time of year. Our aim is to ensure that we can keep the populations of Asian hornets as low as possible, to protect public health and the Island’s biodiversity. It is only a matter of time before we pick up more hornets in our special traps that are kindly being monitored every day by our band of volunteers directly involved with the Spring Queening project.”

Please report any sightings to the Asian Hornet Team asianhornet@gov.gg with a location and a photo if possible. The team’s usual contact phone number at Raymond Falla House is not currently in use due to lockdown measures so please call 07839 197082.

Pictured top: The recently caught queen Asian hornet.