Asian Hornet communications plan

[Polomadh]

On the excellent AH call last week, one contributor said “don’t underestimate the level of effort around communications” should there be a positive sighting. I thought this was a really good point, and I was wondering if there is an actual AH communications plan?

Have any associations drawn one up I can modify?

Who gets notified if there is a positive sighting on the AH app, and how does that get passed around?

[AdamD]

FERA knows about foul brood when discivered and sends out messages; potentially they could do it however my expectation is that associations will do their own thing.
Mick had a hornet nest very close to him; there should be 100 traps put in place before spring to catch any over-wintered queens around the area where the nest was found, before they have a chance of setting up shop next year. Is this going to happen and who has responsibility for it?

[NigelP]

I think as , Mick has implied, there is no joined up writing as to how to progress. Or if there is it is being kept so secret that nobody knows what to do.

[MickBBKA]

I think they are just expecting keepers to put bait traps out at their apiaries. But, as the NBU won't release locations its not targeted. Its possible you could live near a AH location but have all out apiaries no where near a AH site. There are lots of people who could be encouraged to put out wick baits just to monitor for AH. Gardeners, allotment groups, game keepers, land managers, schools, forestry, angling clubs, RSPB reserves, local nature reserves...... The NBU are so used to working with boxes they can't think outside of one.

[AdamD]

I checked - the BBKA are looking into this but nothing is finalised yet.

[mikemadf]

No updates yet and it's mid Jan 2024..
I understand the NBU has a plan..
But it is secret

[MickBBKA]

No updates yet and it's mid Jan 2024..
I understand the NBU has a plan..
But it is secret

Is it a cunning plan ? One as cunning as a bee robbing honey from supers in the back of your car while you are talking to the farmer ?
Somehow I think it will be a WW1 plan which will entail sending our bees to walk very slowly towards the Asian Hornets.

[JoJo36]

[mikemadf]

It is all totally unsustainable.
It's an offence to release a trapped AH. So trapping , marking and releasing has to be done by a "authorised" person - a Bee Inspector.
No skill needed of course.
Imagine having 200 nests to deal with all at once : the NBU will not cope.
And ONE nest produces about 300-500 Qs in September to October..

So miss 5 nests and you have a potential 2,000 plus Qs in Spring.
(Jersey is overwhelmed. England has over 1,000 times the area of Jersey.)

The French are overwhelmed due to lack of resources and money. A cherry picker to reach high nests costs between £200 - £500 per day....so manual destruction will not work when volumes rise. And only NBU are allowed pesticide use..

You can easily see where this could go if we get a lot of nests.. Sorry when we get a lot of nests (2024?)
You can work out the likely q numbers form nest found in September on. (Jeresy!!!!!!)

[MickBBKA]

Its all about control. Not control of AH but the powers that be in control of what is allowed to happen by who which ALWAYS results in failure. eg: Signal Crayfish.
What should happen is when a AH sighting is confirmed then there should be a report put out of the exact location to the NBU, BBKA, local BKA and shared on all social media platforms. This is because believe it or not there are a lot of beekeepers who are not involved with the NBU or BBKA and won't receive notice from them. The NBU are trying to control information for their own ends. Why do the NBU only notify keepers in a given radius of problems. Just tell everyone then we can be prepared. Also anyone who has the time, equipment, balls and the land owners permission should be allowed to go and deal with them. The NBU and APHA are too slow and will be the cause of further ingress by lack of action.
The focus should now be on helping keepers defend apiaries as eradication has failed.