ADDITIONAL volunteers to support the Island’s Asian Hornet-tracking team are needed for the spring queen trapping programme – which has seen hundreds of traps deployed around the Island.
Jersey Asian Hornet Group member John de Carteret said that 1,062 queens had been recorded so far this year, of which the “vast majority” had been caught in official traps.
He noted that the figure was about “three weeks ahead” in comparison to last year’s programme.
Asian hornets first arrived in the Island in 2016, with thousands of nests having since been destroyed in an effort to contain the spread.
The spring trapping programme is a key aspect of the campaign against the invasive species, as it helps ensure the queens are caught before they have time to make nests.
More than 800 traps are currently deployed, though Mr de Carteret added that the group “would always want to increase that” and remained on the lookout for volunteers to host them.
He also noted that Islanders can access information about reporting – as well as an interactive map – via the Asian hornet sightings section of the gov.je website.
“They can see where the hornets are being trapped and, if they live in an area where there aren’t any, maybe they want to come forward.”
Mr de Carteret reiterated the importance of those reporting queens or nests making sure to provide a picture or detailed description to help with identification.
“If it’s a nest, they are asked for some more information – which obviously includes contact details. It’s very useful to have a phone number amongst that rather than just an email.”
