THE “unprecedented” tally of Asian hornet queens found and captured in Jersey so far this year continues to climb.
Last week alone, 195 Asian hornet queens were found in the Island, according to the Jersey Asian Hornet Group – bringing this year’s total to over 350.
It comes after an initial warning from the group dedicated to capturing the invasive species in Monday’s JEP which said they were seeing numbers they would normally expect to see by May or early June.
According to the volunteer group, almost half (42%) of Asian hornet queens were in St Martin this year.
Over three-quarters (78%) of the female insects have been recorded in eastern parishes, mostly by the 550 specially-modified traps the JAHG has deployed across the Island.
The total so far has already surpassed the yearly total of queens recorded in 2024, according to Jersey Asian Hornet Group co-founder John de Carteret, who described it as “unprecedented” for the time of year.
If numbers continue to climb at the same rate, the infestation will surpass the record-breaking figure of 476 queens which were found in 2023, Mr de Carteret said.
The beekeeper told the JEP the reasons behind this year’s increase may be due to hornets emerging from hibernation in northern France being assisted to Jersey by north-easterly winds, which the Island has seen for several days recently.
He explained that Islanders have observed the insects flying into the Island over the sea from the region.
But Mr de Carteret said there was a “mini army of volunteers” working to combat the spread of the predatory insects, which produce thousands of offspring and feed on key pollinators such as bumblebees.
How to report?
- Asian hornet queens and nests can be reported to asianhornet@gov.je
- Reports need to include the location and a photo of the insect
