Pest controllers, fresh from specialist training in France and wearing extra-thick protective clothing, destroyed an Asian hornet nest in Rue de Samarès.
It is the 11th nest found in the Island since June.
The Asian hornet delivers a very painful sting that can be fatal to humans. There have been six deaths in France since the insect arrived in Marseilles in 2004.
Beekeepers Bob Hogge and Bob Tompkins, who have been tracking the insects’ flight paths in the area of St Clement to help locate nests, removed the nest for analysis on Monday.
‘The nest was in a very sorry state and falling apart as every hornet had been robbed out of it by mice so it will not give us much information,’ Mr Hogge said.
‘However, by examining the layers of larvae poo in the cells of the nest we will be able to work out the occupancy rate before it was destroyed.’
The Environment Department is working with the Jersey Beekeepers’ Association to halt the insects’ colonisation of the Island by exterminating nests. At this time of the year, queens are leaving nests to establish new colonies before they hibernate for the winter.
The first Asian hornet – which poses a major threat to honey bees as a single hornet can kill up to 50 bees in one day – arrived in Jersey in August 2016 and the first nest was found at Fliquet in June this year. Each nest can house up to 6,000 hornets.
Since 2004 Asian hornets have spread across France, reaching St Malo in 2011, as well as into Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Italy.
The search for more nests is currently being concentrated around Rue à la Dame in St Saviour and the Zoo where sightings of the invasive insect have recently been confirmed.
Islanders are being asked to join the hunt by checking in gardens and sheds for nests, and looking up into trees when out walking. Sightings should be reported to the Environment Department by calling 441600.
