As part of developing a strategy to deal with the invasive insect, which has colonised Jersey since it arrived in August 2016, Deputy John Young wants to meet the Constables to discuss how the parishes can help deal with the species.
He said: ‘The parishes have got small teams who work around their parishes and this has become a very local issue with 52 nests confirmed this year. I am hoping we can work together to find out where nests are.’
Deputy Young and senior officers from the Environment Department recently met members of the Asian hornet task force, which is made up of Island beekeepers.
‘We had a really good meeting,’ he said. ‘We have been extremely lucky to have a team of dedicated people who have given their own time and commitment and they have made incredible efforts to try to manage this invasive species.
‘This year has been a learning curve and we will now try to produce a plan to manage the Asian hornet population next year.’
The Asian hornet arrived in Europe, at the French port of Marseilles, in 2004 in a consignment of flower pots from China and is now endemic throughout France, northern Spain and Portugal. The species is also spreading through Italy, Germany and Belgium.
It arrived in the Channel Islands – in Alderney – in July 2016. Fifty-two nests have been found in Jersey since April. Beekeeper and JEP nature correspondent Bob Tompkins, who has been at the forefront of this year’s containment efforts, warned last week8 OCT that the number of nests could increase by 300 per cent in 2019.
The Asian hornet poses a serious threat to the environment and farming as it preys on honey bees and other pollinating insects essential to food production. One hornet can kill up to 50 bees in a single day and each nest can be home to 200 queens and up to 6,000 worker hornets.
In a recent reply to a written States question from Deputy Jeremy Maçon, Deputy Young said that £14,000 had been spent – excluding officer costs – this year on measures to combat the insect.
‘This has allowed continued responses, training, equipment purchase and,where necessary, equipment hire and the offer of financial recompense to volunteers working in partnership with States officials,’ he said.
An extra £25,000 had been made available, he added, from existing department budgets.
