YLAH Coldharbour, Surrey by RBKA Member
On Sunday, 5 October one of our members spotted a Yellow Legged Asian Hornet picking off a bee on one of their hive’s landing boards in Coldharbour, Surrey. This predating on the bees is a clear indication the hornets are feeding larvae in a nest.
A photo was taken and sent immediately to the National Bee Unit via the Asian Hornet Watch app on their phone. Seen, Snapped & App’d.
Within an hour or so, contact had been made by the National Bee Unit (NBU) to say the member would be contacted imminently with instructions for the next steps. This was followed up shortly afterwards with contact from a Regional Bee Inspector providing further instructions.
At 9am on Monday morning a Southwest Regional Bee Inspector, Annabel Lewis, arrived at the site. A bait station was set up within the member’s apiary as well as three other stations within walking distance to where the hornet had been spotted.
On Tuesday the local Regional Bee Inspector, Tom Bickerdike, arrived to monitor these bait stations, and set up a couple more, to gain as much information as possible. A few YLAHs, 2 to 4, were attracted to a bait station of Trappit after first being seen by Tom, feeding on nearby ivy, which for the operation was good news at this stage. By Wednesday, (8th October) the Track and Trace operation became fully active with a team being called in to hunt down the nest.
The YLAH threat is on our doorstep there is no doubt and we may, as beekeepers, feel heightened concern. Rest assured that our bee inspectors across the country (members of the National Bee Unit, which comes under DEFRA) are doing an impressive job in carrying out their Eradication Policy.
Their action in Coldharbour and no doubt elsewhere, has been nothing but highly efficient, effective and professional. The Bee Inspectors are reporting that, to date, every confirmed sighting in the UK has ended in the eradication of the nest.
BUT they need as much help as they can get, please.
What can you do?
Make sure you have the Asian Hornet Watch app on your phone and encourage anyone you know and who can, to download it on their phone. See It! Snap It! App It!
If you can, set up a bait/monitoring station which you can monitor frequently.
Spread awareness of YLAH in any way you can.
Laminated A4 posters and information leaflets are available for distribution.
An ID sheet and poster can be downloaded from the YLAH pages of BeeBase .
Further resources and other useful information are available on BBKA Learning Online.
Follow YLAH updates on your Division’s website or Newsletter.
4It is likely that the YLAH spotted was a worker and that the unmated Queens, or Gynes, have not emerged from the nest. But very soon drones could be flying and between 200 and 500 Gynes can be produced per nest, ready to emerge and mate with the aim of hibernating till the Spring when the reproductive cycle begins over again. With everyone’s help, we can hopefully prevent this.
Finally, pray, do a dance, whatever, for some very cold snaps to put a stop to or at least hinder the Spring emergence of any possible over-wintering Queens.
Editor’s note: This latest nest is about 4km from Holmbury St Mary where a nest was recently found. This report has been prepared by the Reigate Beekeeper reporting the sighting and is published in full on the Reigate Beekeepers Members website. Slightly abridged versions have also been published on the Reigate Beekeepers public website (reigate beekeepers.org.uk) and provided here for circulation to the entire community of Surrey Beekeepers.
Richard Bradfeild, Chair Reigate Beekeepers, a Division of Surrey BKA.
Helen Worwood, (The Yellow-Legged Asian Hornet co-ordinator for Surrey BKA) points out that there is much good news in this story:
1. A vigilant beekeeper reported the sighting with a photograph very promptly.
2. The NBU were on site within 24 hours.
3. Tracking revealed the location of the nest within a week of report.
4. Destruction is likely imminent. (This was done.)