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BBC News
07-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Jersey warning after record number of Asian hornet queens found
Warning after hundreds of Asian hornets trapped 10 minutes ago Share Save Lisa Young BBC News Share Save PA Media On Sunday, the Jersey Asian Hornet Group said 887 Asian hornet queens had been trapped Islanders have been urged to check their properties for Asian hornet nests as a record number of queens have been trapped. On Sunday, the Jersey Asian Hornet Group (JAHG) said 887 Asian hornet queens had been trapped, up from 619 on 24 April, compared to 200 captured in the whole of 2024 and 298 in 2023. Founders of JAHG said a total of 58 embryo nests had been found and warned that worker hornets will soon start to leave the nests. John De Carteret, from JAHG, said: "People get stung as the increasing number of workers protect their nest from the slightest disturbance - and it hurts." 'Look up' Mr De Carteret said: "I cannot emphasise enough that now really is the time to be checking in and around your properties and to look up for any Asian hornet nests while they are still at the embryo stage. "This means that only a queen is present, because from now on more and more workers will be emerging from more and more nests." He said on this date in 2024 the count was 61 queen hornets and five nests, while in 2023 those figures were 71 and two. The first primary nest was found a month earlier this year than in 2024, he added. PA Media Mr De Carteret urged islanders to look up at their houses and outbuildings to check for Asian hornet nests In April, Alastair Christie, Jersey government's senior scientific officer for invasive species, said it had been "a good winter" for Asian hornet queens with consistent temperatures. The invasive species, first discovered in the Channel Islands in 2016, feeds on native bees and wasps, damaging biodiversity. Anyone who suspects they have found an Asian hornet is asked to send a photo and details to the Jersey team via asianhornet@ Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to
ITV News
06-05-2025
- Science
- ITV News
Authorities in Jersey fight rising numbers of Asian hornets
Authorities in Jersey are warning against a significant rise in the number of Asian hornets caught recently. The island's spring trapping programme, which aims to trap and kill queen hornets in the months before they begin to build nests, has caught a total of 896 queens this year. This is almost 15x more than this time last year, when only 62 queens had been caught. Why are Asian hornet numbers on the rise? Alastair Christie, the chief scientist coordinating the States of Jersey trapping programme, says a variety of factors have contributed to the problem: Firstly, Jersey had a consistently cold winter - which allowed the queens to hibernate in peace. This was followed by an unseasonably warm and sunny spring over the past couple of weeks and that has encouraged all of the queens to emerge at once. The recent good weather also puts the island "about two weeks ahead in the season", with warmer temperatures and fewer showers. The first part of the year has also been characterised by consistent north-easterly winds. It's believed this has allowed the hornets to reach Jersey quickly and more easily from the French coast. Finally, some nests were located a little too late in the season last year - and queens are now emerging from those, too. Whilst the spring trapping programme seeks to catch as many queens as possible before they start building nests, volunteers have already found 60 nests - which is 10x more than this time last year. This suggests some queens have started to build their nests for the summer and will soon be accompanied by worker hornets. However, the team say the fact that so many queens have successfully been trapped and killed up to this point is a reassuring sign that the problem will not spiral out of control. Islanders are being asked to keep their eyes peeled for both hornets and signs of their nests, and alert authorities if they find them. Typically built in secluded areas - such as garden sheds, wood stores, or in the eaves of a house - nests will currently be about the size of a tennis ball, identifiable by a single hornet coming and going. Catching them now is key to ensuring the problem isn't exacerbated further. The invasive species team is also seeking volunteers for the programme's next phase - tracking the hornets over the course of the summer.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Asian hornet numbers rise after 'perfect winter'
More Asian hornet queens have already been trapped this year in the Channel Islands than in the whole of 2024. This year Jersey volunteers have already trapped 619 queens, more than three times the number caught last year. The numbers of queens caught in Guernsey, Alderney and Sark this year have also exceeded the recorded totals for 2024. Alastair Christie, Jersey government's senior scientific officer for invasive species said it had been "a good winter" for Asian hornet queens with consistent temperatures. The invasive species, first discovered in the Channel Islands in 2016, feeds on native bees and wasps, damaging biodiversity. On Thursday, the 619th Asian hornet queen was trapped on Jersey, a significantly larger number than the total of 200 trapped in 2024 and 298 in 2023. One of the founding members of the Jersey Asian hornet group, John De Carteret, said this year's count was "rapidly escalating". He said 406 reports had been made in the east of Jersey, with 194 of the queens found in the parish of St Martin, and 118 in the west. "These queens don't just give themselves up," he said. "It's all down to the hours of checking traps by all the volunteers, so pat yourselves on the back and hope, as I do, that the more caught now must translate into fewer nests later." On Friday, the 13th Asian hornet queen trapped this year in Guernsey was discovered in St Peters, surpassing last year's total of 12 and nearing the 2023 total of 15. Guernsey's Asian hornet team coordinator Francis Russell said: "This year we have witnessed queens around two weeks earlier than average. "The first was trapped on 5 April - the easterly winds are thought to explain this early start." He said trapping took place for 10 weeks and would end 10 June. On Friday the number of Asian hornet queens trapped in Alderney reached 106, exceeding a total of 99 trapped in 2024 and dozens more than 2023's total of 26. Alderney's Asian Hornet group's administrator David Jarolík reminded members to check their traps regularly and look out for primary nests which would have been made by queens. Sark, too, has surpassed its record as the 35th queen was trapped on Thursday, exceeding the total number of 30 caught in 2024 and 16 in 2023. Alastair Christie, the senior scientific officer for invasive species for the Government of Jersey, said it had been "a good winter" for Asian hornet queens with consistent temperatures and steady warming through the spring. He said: "A higher number of nests were found later in the 2024 season, after mid-October, when they will have released the new generation of queens to mate, hibernate and then emerge now. "Also we recently had a period of sustained easterly winds that may well have brought queen hornets over from France," he added. Anyone who suspects they have found an Asian hornet is asked to send a photo and details to the Guernsey Asian hornet team via asianhornet@ or the Jersey team via asianhornet@ Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook. Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to Asian hornet season starts 'earlier than usual' Asian hornet nests dissected to monitor species Asian hornets: Why so many in the Channel Islands? Government of Jersey - Asian Hornets States of Guernsey - Asian Hornets
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Asian hornet numbers rise after 'perfect winter'
More Asian hornet queens have already been trapped this year in the Channel Islands than in the whole of 2024. This year Jersey volunteers have already trapped 619 queens, more than three times the number caught last year. The numbers of queens caught in Guernsey, Alderney and Sark this year have also exceeded the recorded totals for 2024. Alastair Christie, Jersey government's senior scientific officer for invasive species said it had been "a good winter" for Asian hornet queens with consistent temperatures. The invasive species, first discovered in the Channel Islands in 2016, feeds on native bees and wasps, damaging biodiversity. On Thursday, the 619th Asian hornet queen was trapped on Jersey, a significantly larger number than the total of 200 trapped in 2024 and 298 in 2023. One of the founding members of the Jersey Asian hornet group, John De Carteret, said this year's count was "rapidly escalating". He said 406 reports had been made in the east of Jersey, with 194 of the queens found in the parish of St Martin, and 118 in the west. "These queens don't just give themselves up," he said. "It's all down to the hours of checking traps by all the volunteers, so pat yourselves on the back and hope, as I do, that the more caught now must translate into fewer nests later." On Friday, the 13th Asian hornet queen trapped this year in Guernsey was discovered in St Peters, surpassing last year's total of 12 and nearing the 2023 total of 15. Guernsey's Asian hornet team coordinator Francis Russell said: "This year we have witnessed queens around two weeks earlier than average. "The first was trapped on 5 April - the easterly winds are thought to explain this early start." He said trapping took place for 10 weeks and would end 10 June. On Friday the number of Asian hornet queens trapped in Alderney reached 106, exceeding a total of 99 trapped in 2024 and dozens more than 2023's total of 26. Alderney's Asian Hornet group's administrator David Jarolík reminded members to check their traps regularly and look out for primary nests which would have been made by queens. Sark, too, has surpassed its record as the 35th queen was trapped on Thursday, exceeding the total number of 30 caught in 2024 and 16 in 2023. Alastair Christie, the senior scientific officer for invasive species for the Government of Jersey, said it had been "a good winter" for Asian hornet queens with consistent temperatures and steady warming through the spring. He said: "A higher number of nests were found later in the 2024 season, after mid-October, when they will have released the new generation of queens to mate, hibernate and then emerge now. "Also we recently had a period of sustained easterly winds that may well have brought queen hornets over from France," he added. Anyone who suspects they have found an Asian hornet is asked to send a photo and details to the Guernsey Asian hornet team via asianhornet@ or the Jersey team via asianhornet@ Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook. Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to Asian hornet season starts 'earlier than usual' Asian hornet nests dissected to monitor species Asian hornets: Why so many in the Channel Islands? Government of Jersey - Asian Hornets States of Guernsey - Asian Hornets
