Bumper year warning as first hornet nest found since 2019

The hornets target local pollinators, so the States has adopted an elimination policy to avoid the insects getting a foothold in the island.

Asian hornet team project co-ordinator Francis Russell said that including the latest nest, there had been eight hornets caught so far this year.

‘Last year we only had six sightings in the whole year,’ he said, ‘it shows it’s a lot busier.’

The recently-discovered nest was in an outbuilding of a home on Grande Rue in St Saviour’s.

Mr Russell said it was about the size of a golf ball and it was thought to be about a week old.

‘It was 7ft off the ground on a beam,’ he said. ‘It was a good spot.’

When the nest was removed, along with the queen, it already had 11 cells with five eggs. Mr Russell said if had been left just a few more weeks, there would have been a problem.

The previous nest found in Guernsey was removed from a Havelet location in autumn 2019.

In the most recent sightings, queens were seen in St Peter Port, St Sampson’s, St Peter’s and Vale, while another was swatted by a tennis racket at a property in the Vale. The team were able to identify the species from the decapitated head.

In the past sightings have mainly been in the north-east of the island, but Mr Russell said the recent nest find showed how vigilance was needed island-wide.

Sark has seen nine hornets caught in traps, with another 10 sightings. Jersey has already seen more than 70 queens identified, with five nests found. Alderney is so far quieter than usual, with only a few sightings.

‘It is more about what happens in France and the weather conditions,’ Mr Russell said. ‘As it warmed up, and with an easterly wind, there was a wave of hornets coming across.’

Guernsey’s vigilance means Mr Russell is confident the latest finds are not insects that have been over-wintering here.

‘We are almost certain these are freshly-arrived hornets,’ he said.

The spring queening initiative has seen traps used to catch freshly-arrived queens before they have a chance to makes nests.

This was its third year and Mr Russell said it had been successful.

This year’s initiative will end on Friday, with the project turning towards islanders reporting any Asian hornets they see instead.

‘Spring queening has been a really helpful strategy, as it stops them nesting’ he said.

‘But I think we will have missed a few, so we have got to expect some nests in sheds.’

n For details on identifying and reporting Asian hornets, visit www.gov.gg/asianhornet.