Trap!

The fight-back against the Asian Hornet, Vespa velutina, has started.

I built these traps using some stuff from the local household store, and baited them with Catalan white wine, my honey, organic brown sugar and locally-caught fish. Frankly, if the Asian hornets aren't attracted by that menu, and the low food-mile count, I will be amazed...

One way to the winery

The instructions for this type of trap are pretty widely available. The funnel has a 10mm hole, through which hornets and bees can pass, but the exit holes, just above the internal wire base, are just 6mm in diameter. Large enough for a honey bee to escape, but too small for the hornet. The inverted bowl above the trap keeps the rain out (and thus avoids diluting the bait - no-one wants watered-down wine...)

I'll check them in a week to see if they have captured anything useful.

Attack!

We are under attack. The dread Asian Hornet, Vespa velutina, has arrived at my hives.

I took a honey harvest a couple of weeks ago, but it was small - way too small for this time of year. I suspected that something might be bothering the bees. And today, when I went up to the hives, the bees were locked down in their hive entrances. 

She is out there, somewhere

And just a few centimetres away, the hovering menace:



I've told the rangers, and the bee association, but I'd welcome any advice or suggestions on how best to deal with this.