Urgent warning over Asian hornets as EIGHT killer insects are caught near UK mainland – after record numbers last year
THE first eight Asian hornets of the year have already been snared on the Channel Islands raising fears 2024 could be a record for the striped terrors.
Guernsey government officials said two hornets were caught in special traps on Friday and Saturday.
Guernsey’s Asian hornet strategy co-ordinator Francis Russell added that the much smaller neighbouring island of Sark has already captured its sixth Asian hornet of the year.
The capturing of the queen hornets before they get the chance to make nests follows Guernsey’s Asian Hornet Team warning of a “potential increase in Asian hornet activity”.
Francis said: “Although the traps are effective we cannot emphasise enough the important role played by members of the public in reporting potential Asian hornet sightings and looking out for small nests made by the queens in a few weeks’ time.
“Our aim is to ensure that we can keep the populations of Asian hornets as low as possible to protect public health and the island’s biodiversity.”
Last week it was revealed that artificial “robot” intelligence could be the key to saving Britain from what is feared to be the worst ever Asian hornet summer from hell.
One of the striped terrors was found in March in a potting shed in Kent – weeks before they normally appear – sparking worries they are ready to invade in greater numbers than ever seen before.
But bug boffins have unveiled an early warning “bot” tracker to trace them.
Researchers from the University of Exeter have invented a system that entices the hornets to a monitoring station.
They land on a sponge cloth impregnated with food and an overhead camera captures images.
AI signals “Yes” if they are identified as Asian hornets and flashes an alert to a waiting phone or computer.
Once the hornet thinks it has discovered an apparently safe food source it is likely to return and the team will be able to track it back to its nest.
The system – called VespAI – could be a game changer.
One of the stumbling blocks for exterminators is tracking hornets early in the spring before newly-hatched queens are born in nests.
The queens will lay eggs for a new generation if left too long and another year of torment is guaranteed.
The university said the cost of components can be pegged below £100 so the device can be widely used.
Thomas O’Shea-Wheller, of the Environment and Sustainability Institute at the university’s Penryn campus in Cornwall, said: “Our goal was to develop something cost-effective and versatile, so anyone – from governments to individual beekeepers – could use it.
“This study tested a prototype version and the results were encouraging.”
The current strategy depends on the public spotting, identifying and reporting an Asian hornet.
But the vast majority turn out to be mistaken identity.
Typically fewer than one in a hundred are Asian hornets.
VespAI uses a compact processor to operate and remains dormant unless its sensors identify an insect in the size range of a hornet.
Its AI algorithm activates, analyses the image to check and if it is an Asian hornet the monitor sends an alert to the user.
Another member of the team, Dr Peter Kennedy, said “The majority of reports submitted are misidentified native species, meaning the agencies have to manually validate thousands of images every year.
“In some parts of Europe, detection relies on hornet trapping – but such traps kill a lot of native insects and do little to impact Asian hornet numbers.
“VespAI ensures that live Asian hornets can be tracked back to the nest which is the only effective way to destroy them.”
Trackers find the nest by watching which way the hornets fly away from the “bait station”.
Cross-checking with other sightings zeroes in on the likely spot for a nest by triangulation.
The system was tested on Jersey which experiences high numbers of Asian hornet incursions.
Thousands of images of insects were collected and the AI learned to identify Asian hornets based on colouration, size and morphology.
This year the team will begin deploying additional prototypes in collaboration with the UK government, the National Bee Unit, the British Beekeepers Association and the company Vita Bee Health.
A paper on the device, titled “VespAI: a deep learning-based system for the detection of invasive hornets”, has been published in the journal Communications Biology.
The news comes as experts warn that many queens, the matriarchs of a hornet colony, have survived the mild winter and are emerging to lay eggs.
HOW TO SPOT ASIAN HORNETS
The predators are easily distinguished from other hornets as their legs are black at the top and yellow at the bottom.
Worker Asian hornets tend to reach around 25mm and queens grow to 30mm.
The Asian hornet is a day-flying species which, unlike the European hornet, ceases activity at dusk.
It nests in tall trees in urban and rural areas, and nests can also be found in sheds, garages, under decking or in holes in the wall or ground.
Disturbing a hornet’s nest can be extremely dangerous as up to 700 insects will join in an attack on any perceived threat.
Don’t run. They can fly faster than you can and are intrigued by moving targets and consider running a provocation.
If people come in contact with their lethal sting, it can leave your skin swollen causing a deadly allergic reaction.
To treat a hornet sting you should:
- Wash the area with soap and water and apply an antiseptic to clean the wound and reduce chance or infection
- Place an icepack or cold compress to reduce any swelling
- Elevate the affected area to reduce the chance of swelling
- Avoid scratching the area to reduce the risk of infection or irritation
An Asian hornet is capable of decapitating and eating up to 50 honey bees a day and its sting is described as like being stabbed by a red hot needle.
Not only do they pose a threat to the environment, they can also kill people who have an allergy to them with just one sting.
The incredibly early discovery of one in Ash, Kent, on March 11 came after it was found in a potting shed, according to the British Beekeepers Association.
The first reported sighting in 2023 was on April 11 in Northumberland where a single Asian hornet was captured.
Asian hornets were first found on the UK mainland in Tetbury in 2016 and they have now appeared in London, Kent, East Sussex, Southampton, New Forest, Weymouth, Plymouth, Southend, Hull, Middlesbrough and Northumberland.
In 2023 there were 57 reported sightings across the UK – double the number of the previous seven years combined.
Diane Drinkwater, chair of the British Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA), said of the March sighting: “I suspect this is a winter queen that was born here.”
Appearing in early March suggests the hornets are increasingly getting a hold in the UK and experts fear this summer will be the worst ever.
Last year scores more were found in the Channel islands, which it’s thought they use as a stepping stone as they wing across the Channel from Europe.
At least ten people on Jersey sought urgent medical treatment in 2023 after being attacked.
Asian hornet stings have led to the deaths of at least five people in France with more victims in other European countries.