Asian Hornet

[NigelP]

They are 1cm deep x 27cm long.
Your alternative is a plank of wood the width of your entrance then shaved down so it slides into entrance and cut a tunnel entrance across the face of the wood. Same effect as hivegate.

Addendum. Just checked a couple of my empty nucs and there is a sufficient gap to get my fingers between the entrance and the bottom of the frames. I think it's important to have a gap so the bees can find their way into their exit which is now mid-floor. I know they quickly adapt to it.

[Cable_Fairy]

I was at Thornes last week and saw them using "Wasp Out for WBC hive" which are attached to the entrance block and the bees go in from the end.

[bees_love]

The presence of the Asian hornet is a concern for beekeepers and the bee population as a whole. These invasive predators can be a significant threat to honeybee colonies. It's crucial for all beekeepers to stay informed about the signs of Asian hornet activity and be vigilant in reporting any sightings to local authorities. Implementing traps and monitoring your hives regularly can help reduce the risk. Additionally, supporting research and initiatives aimed at controlling the spread of these hornets is essential for protecting our precious honeybee populations. Together, we can work to safeguard our bees from this invasive threat. #AsianHornet #BeekeepingCommunity

[MickBBKA]

I found out yesterday that the Asian Hornet nest in Yarm was only a mile from my apiary there. This really should be a statutory event forcing the location of a nest to be publicly available or at least put on the NBU and BBKA sites. It is shocking that the failure of all the bodies involved to prevent the spread make it even worse by not alerting keepers in close proximity of nests found. But I have always said they would fail and make a pigs ear of it. We just get to pick up the pieces. They are here to stay now.

[AdamD]

Ahh, but would you have found it and tried to blow it to pieces? (In a not very effective way?).

However that's a frighteningly close nest and your worry that it has produced viable offspring for next year is not unfounded.

[MickBBKA]

Ahh, but would you have found it and tried to blow it to pieces? (In a not very effective way?).

Yeh, but who can resist blowing things up

Further to earlier comments I was trading in Whitby last weekend and happened to see a window cleaner washing windows on those huge buildings on the West cliff near the whale bone arch. I had no idea the extending poles reached so high.
So, change water for fuel and add an igniter.............Job done...............NBU need a creative department, the sort of people who created the bouncing bomb, the computer, the steam train, jet engine, supersonic flight, gravity, radio, TV, antibiotics.................

[MickBBKA]

Recently I have been watching FB groups in France and Spain dealing with AH and their comments with regard to how bad the UK is prepared for this invasion.
Once again I am gobsmacked by the NBU and the GOV lack of preparedness. They have had years watching europe and have no need for their own studies while the invasion happens. If you look on the NBU and Gov sites they are still treating this as a prevention strategy. After 70+ nests found are they really that stupid that they don't think AH is now endemic to the UK. These idiots are constantly so far behind the ball they are not fit for purpose. The only way beekeepers can prepare now is to look at social media for advise on how to mitigate attacks. The NBU and GOV are about to unleash havoc on the UK beekeeping community by not taking the lead in preparing keepers for what is about to happen. These idiots are so far up their own backsides in wanting to gain data on nest samples and DNA that they have completely lost the plot on prevention. Dads army failed as I said it would. Now the 'Battle of Britain' begins, but unlike 1940 we have no defence strategy and the NBU and GOV have left every man fighting for himself. So search the internet for devices and strategy to help you because the NBU and GOV have no idea what to do next, they are a failure to UK beekeeping.

[AdamD]

Ahh, but would you have found it and tried to blow it to pieces? (In a not very effective way?).

Yeh, but who can resist blowing things up

Further to earlier comments I was trading in Whitby last weekend and happened to see a window cleaner washing windows on those huge buildings on the West cliff near the whale bone arch. I had no idea the extending poles reached so high.
So, change water for fuel and add an igniter.............Job done...............NBU need a creative department, the sort of people who created the bouncing bomb, the computer, the steam train, jet engine, supersonic flight, gravity, radio, TV, antibiotics.................

An insecticide might be better - but you ar right that some creativity is required.
Drones loaded with wasp-killer spray? Whatever...

[AdamD]

Recently I have been watching FB groups in France and Spain dealing with AH and their comments with regard to how bad the UK is prepared for this invasion.
Once again I am gobsmacked by the NBU and the GOV lack of preparedness. They have had years watching europe and have no need for their own studies while the invasion happens. If you look on the NBU and Gov sites they are still treating this as a prevention strategy. After 70+ nests found are they really that stupid that they don't think AH is now endemic to the UK. These idiots are constantly so far behind the ball they are not fit for purpose. The only way beekeepers can prepare now is to look at social media for advise on how to mitigate attacks. The NBU and GOV are about to unleash havoc on the UK beekeeping community by not taking the lead in preparing keepers for what is about to happen. These idiots are so far up their own backsides in wanting to gain data on nest samples and DNA that they have completely lost the plot on prevention. Dads army failed as I said it would. Now the 'Battle of Britain' begins, but unlike 1940 we have no defence strategy and the NBU and GOV have left every man fighting for himself. So search the internet for devices and strategy to help you because the NBU and GOV have no idea what to do next, they are a failure to UK beekeeping.

You might, just might, be lucky that your local nest might not produce any viable offspring. However the 70 or so nests down south will certainly do so and then they'll migrate across the country quickly enough. Knowing their DNA might be of interest to a scientist, however that's not much help to a beekeeper who wants the numbers kept down to a minimal level - that's all we can hope for in the longer term.

[NigelP]

Having seen some of the inventions (electric grids, gridded entrances etc etc) my advice would be get several apiary sites and if one comes under attack, move your hives.