First Guernsey Asian hornet nest of 2019 discovered in St Saviour's tree

There have been no other confirmed Asian hornet sightings in any other part of the island.

The nest was located in a sweet chestnut tree in a field off Route des Piques in St Saviour's.

An Asian Hornet Team spokesperson confirmed that this was the first secondary nest that had been found this year.

'It was found by observing the flight patterns of worker hornets attracted to strategically placed bait stations that were set up and monitored by the Asian Hornet Team,' the spokesperson said.

'Access has been permitted with the land owner and we are planning the safest way to treat and take down the nest. A cherry picker will be needed to complete these activities later this week.

'Over the next week or so, we will continue to monitor the bait stations to be certain that there is only one nest.'

The discovery follows several sightings in the area.

There have been no other confirmed sightings of Asian Hornets anywhere else on the island at this time.

So far 55 nests have been found in Jersey. While the nests found in Guernsey have been found in trees, in Jersey the hornets have been less picky. Nests have been found in a compost bin, on rock faces, inside an embankment on a country lane and within brambles.

Last year eight nests were found in Guernsey and removed. But earlier this year traps were set up to capture any spring queens, looking to set up nests, which has helped control the spread of the creatures.

Asian hornets target local insects, including honey bees.

A new Facebook page - www.facebook.com/asianhornetguernsey - has been set up to track the Asian hornets.