Asian hornet queen's nest is removed

The nest was located in an outside building in a residential garden off La Mare de Carteret.

While carrying out maintenance to a swimming pool pump shed, the owners spotted the insect leaving and then returning to the primary nest that the hornet had built on the inside beams.

The satsuma-sized nest was found to contain a single comb with 13 eggs, and seven small larvae. It is estimated that the queen started to build the nest in early April, which coincides with the time that the first queen Asian hornets were caught in traps in the Vale.

‘This is the first primary nest found on the island this year and it tells us that queen hornets have wasted no time in setting up nests where they have found a suitable location,’ said Francis Russell, Asian Hornet Strategy project coordinator.

‘The majority of these early nests that are reported to us are found by the public in sheds and outbuildings, although last year we did have four reported in bird boxes.

‘It is fortunate the nest was found and reported to us urgently as we know that after a few weeks the queen and newly-hatched workers will leave the primary nest to construct a larger secondary nest – typically in the treetops not far away but these are a lot more difficult to deal with.’

He said any nests discovered should be reported, even if it turned out to be a wasps’ nest.