‘Public response is helping’

Currently the hornets – which often make nests high in tree canopies – have to be tracked using bait stations and following which direction they are flying in. They are a threat to local wildlife and in particular honey bees.

Mr Harris had hoped to raise about £3,100 for the antennae and 10 trackers. But now there is enough money for 17 trackers, which should mean the team can keep tracking the invasive pests through next year.

The money came from the States of Guernsey, the Channel Islands Co-operative and members of the public.

‘We have managed to go straight over the top of the target,’ he said.

It is hoped the antennae will arrive next week and the special trackers later this month. Trackers can be carefully sewn onto the backs of larger hornets, which will allow beekeepers to follow the animal back to its nest. Mr Harris said the importance of this had been highlighted in St Peter’s, where he said it had been difficult to find nests as hornets from three different ones were foraging in similar areas.

Mr Harris said he was now working out what would be the best frequency for the radio trackers.

Nests will start emitting queens in September who will form new ones next spring, so he said it was vital the equipment be put to work soon.

So far five nests have been found. One in L’Islet and one in St Peter’s have already been destroyed.

Another two in St Peter’s were removed yesterday, while plans are underway to tackle another in St Andrew’s.

Mr Harris said the St Andrew’s nest was towards the hospital, so it was not clear yet whether this was the only source of hornets seen at Le Foulon Cemetery.

Sightings have also been reported at L’Eree and Cobo and bait stations have been going up.

‘We have been working well with the public,’ Mr Harris said.

‘The good thing is that once we get the tracking system, it means it will speed things up and we will find them quicker.’

He said the public sightings were still a vital tool in tracking the insect.

The hornet numbers can grow quickly.

In Galicia, northern Spain, the number of nests rose from two in 2012 to 10,642 by 2016.

In Jersey the man behind the mission there to destroy Asian hornets, John de Carteret, said he feared the battle against the pest was being lost.

But Mr Harris is much more optimistic.

‘Last year Jersey had 15 nests and this year were up to 19,’ he said.

‘Because they are closer to France they have things much worse than us.

'With the tracking, it hopefully won’t get up to the stage of having 15 nests here.’

He said that there had been no sightings of hornets in Herm this year and he understood that beekeepers in Sark had made a few sightings, but had not found any nests. Similarly Alderney has not found any nests, but earlier in the year managed to catch 50 queens.

Mr Harris said Alderney’s proximity to France made the battle there much harder.