Asian Hornet sightings indicate two more nests

Agriculture, Countryside and Land Management Services say there have been four confirmed reports in the vicinity of the Longfrie Inn, as well as two unconfirmed but credible reports in Rouge Rue and Bulwer Avenue.

These are the first since a nest was found in Torteval on 7 September and destroyed.

The Asian Hornet is slightly smaller than the more common native European hornet and poses a significant threat to honey bees and other pollinators.

'Agriculture, Countryside and Land Management Services wishes to thank members of the public and the Guernsey Beekeepers Association for their assistance with hornet sightings so far, and asks them to remain vigilant, as it is important that any nests are found as soon as possible,' said a spokesman.

'Queen hornets will shortly be leaving the nest to overwinter and any queens which survive the winter will go on to build new nests next year. The hornets found near the Longfrie were not queens. Anyone finding an Asian hornet is asked to photograph the insect if possible, note the

location and watch it long enough to determine the direction of travel as this may be helpful in finding a nest site. Any trapped Asian hornets can be delivered to the Plant Health lab at Raymond Falla House, Burnt Lane, where it will be determined whether they are queens or workers.'

An Asian Hornet sighting was also confirmed this week in Devon at an apiary near Woolacombe, the first in England since last September when a nest was discovered in the Tetbury area of Gloucestershire.

Asian hornets arrived in France in 2004 and are now common across large areas of Europe.

Information about the hornet and its nests is available from the National Bee Unit’s website.

There is a short video clip of one on gov.gg/asianhornet as well as downloadable PDF documents which highlight the differences between them and other similar looking species.

Sightings should be reported by emailing aclms@gov.gg or telephoning 234567, or through the ‘Asian Hornet Watch’ app, which is free to download from the App Store.

Any sightings in Alderney and Sark should be reported to the States of Alderney or Sark Government offices.

BLOB The Asian Hornet has a distinctive velvety black/dark brown thorax. The abdomen is also black/brown with the abdominal segments bordered with a fine yellow band, only the fourth abdominal segment is almost entirely a yellow-orange. The legs are black/brown

with yellow ends and the head is black with an orange-yellow face. A typical worker hornet is approximately 22mm (1 inch) in length.