Primary nests are currently being built by the invasive species, which is a predator of honey bees and other pollinators.
John de Carteret, vice-president of the Jersey Beekeepers’ Association, said that it is a ‘critical’ time of year for Islanders to report suspected nests to the Environment Department.
‘At the moment the nests only have one queen in them but in a few weeks’ time they will produce around 50 hornets each,’ he said.
‘So it is especially important that we get the message out at this time of year that people need to report nests.’
Mr de Carteret said that it would be especially helpful if Islanders could take photographs of suspected nests, so it can be verified whether they belong to Asian hornets.
‘Their nests look quite similar to other creatures, such as wasps,’ he said.
‘They are usually at tree-top height, although we have found nests that are lower and one was on the ground last year, which was very dangerous.
‘People should check their sheds. The nests can be on overhangs and the one we found yesterday was on a thin metal strip.’
More information can be found on the Facebook pages for Mr De Carteret and the Jersey Beekeepers’ Association.
The Environment Department can be contacted by telephone on 411600 or email at environmentenquiries@gov.je.
Asian hornets were first spotted in Jersey in 2016.
