JERSEY could see record numbers of Asian-hornet nests this season – with as many as five now being dealt with in a single day.
More than 50 nests have been discovered so far this year, mostly in the east of the Island, including one that was found at an Environment Department building.
Alastair Christie, who leads the team hunting the invasive species, estimated that the season was ‘probably on track’ to beat the previous record of 83 nests in 2019.
‘It’s difficult to say because the season is early this year and we are better at finding them – although we do have a number of active tracking cases at the moment,’ he said.
‘We did five in a day [recently] which I don’t think we have ever done before, and we are finding them in really diverse locations – on the ground, up in trees, in sheds, in roof spaces, brambles – we even had one at the Environment Department,’ he added, noting that the team had started to come across the larger ‘secondary’ nests built from late July onwards.
He explained that the mild winter, combined with the ‘great weather’ earlier in the year, were possible factors behind the increased activity.
‘I’d be surprised if there weren’t another 50 nests out there – that is a possibility,’ he said.
‘This season is a challenging one but as long as we take out the majority of these nests then we will maintain control,’ he added.
Anyone who thinks they have found an Asian hornet – or its home – can report the sighting by emailing asianhornet@gov.je, attaching a photo if possible. Islanders can also call Mr Christie on 441633.
‘I think the public have been absolutely amazing, we are getting some really good reports,’ he said.
The team has several techniques it can use to safely remove an Asian-hornet nest, including the use of carbon dioxide or a specially-designed vacuum.
Asian hornets:
– Asian hornets are larger than wasps and can be positively identified by their darker colour, a yellow/orange band across their lower end, a bright pale-yellow belt at the waist and the yellow lower half of their legs.
– The Asian hornet was introduced into Europe in 2004 and has since spread throughout France, Spain, Portugal and Italy. The invasive species first arrived in Jersey in August 2016.
– In 2021, the Jersey Asian Hornet Group found more than 100 queens – nearly twice the amount caught so far this year – and finished the season with a total of 63 nests, compared to 38 the year before and 83 in 2019.
