The BBKA AHAT Teams are coming together, North Devon have just sent a map in showing the coverage in their area where each trap has been placed. This may be of great assistance to the Bee Inspectors if they are called to the area to look for hornets.

 

Markers showing where traps have been sited

There have been a couple of questions about when to put traps in and out. I will be putting out plant saucers containing the wasp attractant Suterra or Trappit from May until mid July unless a hornet is seen in the area. I want to give the other pollinators a chance.

A tip from Jersey is to put it somewhere you can see it easily, they were using upturned buckets or window sills. If a stone is placed in the saucer the hornets can feed without getting their feet wet and it can also help to hold down a piece of tissue paper to help the liquid to remain in the saucer.

                                             

It is a good idea to practice sight tracking wasps and hornets . Watch them carefully as they feed and then note which direction the fly in. European hornets can be marked and timed from when they leave the food until they return. Check by recording several flights. If the same flight speed is used as in the case of Asian Hornets (100 mtrs in 1 min) A time of 15 minutes and may indicate that a nest is over 1 km away and then direction is not always accurate, an interval of less than 2 minutes means that the nest is probably close. The approximate distance and direction of the nest can be calculated. However, please don’t try this with the Asian Hornet just contact the Non native species as soon as it is seen.

Remember See It, Snap it , Send it

- Anne Rowberry,

Asian Hornet lead Trustee, BBKA