SEPTEMBER 2024 – ASIAN HORNET NEST FOUND IN SOUTHAMTON
A member of the public’s credible report of a suspicious insect on the Asian Hornet Watch App near the Old Cemetery in Southampton had galvanised the NBU into track-and-trace operations to find the nest. It was located 17m high in an ancient ivy-clad tree, surrounded by undergrowth, deep in the Old Cemetery. Criss-crossed by public footpaths between close-packed graves and tombstones, the cemetery remains popular with walkers, dog owners and runners.
Image of the tree / Close up of the nest
Respect for the long-buried dead plus the dense vegetation ruled out use of a cherry picker. Tree climbers were the only way to deliver the insecticide and remove the nest although their ascent was delayed until the torrential rain stopped and conditions were less hazardous.
The following day conditions were safer for Dan Etheridge, the Central Regional Bee Inspector, together with James and Tom of Worthy Tree Care Ltd, to swing into action. They are highly experienced, hardened veterans of the 2023 Asian Hornet campaign amidst the dangerously difficult terrain of Capel-le-Ferne in Kent. Nevertheless, the cemetery tree was a worthy opponent, reluctant to give up its prize. Several hours of hacking, chain sawing and hand cutting were needed to create a passage up the tree. Meanwhile I kept watch to ensure that no members of the public wandered into potential danger.
Cutting a way up the tree
Having cut partway up the tree, James reached a safe position with a clear view of the nest. The Wasp Pole Pro lance, with its 12-metre extension, enabled him to deliver two doses of Permethrin 0.5% broad spectrum insecticide: a camera attached to the tip enabled Dan on the ground to see what was happening inside the nest. There was no dramatic reaction from the nest inhabitants, but dead and dying hornets were soon littering the ground which Tom collected and put into specimen bottles.
James the tree climber with the lance / Dead or dying hornets on the ground
While the climbers and the ground crew had a well-deserved break, returning foragers soon succumbed to the treatment and joined their fellow hornets on the ground. It took more time and more hacking for James to cut the remaining passage and to reach the nest. Having sawed through the branch to which the nest was anchored, he bagged it securely and lowered it to the ground.
Tree climber bagging the nest
A further precautionary insecticide spray was required put an end to a few remaining live hornets before the bag could be opened safely and the nest taken out for photographic evidence.
Dan Etheridge holding the nest
Yet the day still wasn’t over. While packing to leave, the Asian Hornet Watch App delivered a report of another Asian Hornet caught by a nearby beekeeper in his kitchen. His hand-delivered specimen joined the nest on its journey to the Fera Laboratory for analysis. Fingers crossed that it came from the same nest.
Finally, carefully labelled monitoring traps were placed in the cemetery to catch any of the nest’s stragglers and monitor for other colonies. Local beekeepers have also been asked to increase vigilance and put out bait or monitoring stations.
The media interest in the incident has meant we could plug the Asian Hornet Watch App, emphasise the hornet’s actual features and dispel a few myths, while reminding the public to keep their eyes peeled as the Asian Hornet is more than just a beekeeper’s problem!
The speedy response plus the NBU team’s calm, competent professionalism was very impressive. It was reassuring to see the APHA/NBU/Hampshire Asian Hornet Contingency Plans working so smoothly.
Alan Baxter
AH Coordinator
Hampshire Beekeepers Association