vespa velutina nigrithorax

[chris]

844

The map is the latest I can find of the progression of vespa velutina nigrithorax (asian hornet) in its colonisation of France. It has been progressing at about 100 km. per season. The 3 isolated areas indicate where an egg laying female has obviously found some other form of transport than flying. Its installation and progression are now considered irreversible, and it will only be a matter of time before the rest of Europe is *invaded*. In France it is considered a very serious problem.
Their nest can be up to a metre high, with a diameter of 80 cm. The carapace is about 8 cm. thick. The nest can contain up to 20.000 cells.
Perhaps you still have time in Scotland to start rebuilding Hadrian's wall.

[chris]

just found this photo of a nest

845

[gavin]

Zut alors!

We may have a secret weapon. The Sep 07 Bee Craft article (translated from one in Bulletin Technique Apicole) says that the climate in its natural range is like S Europe. We have a climate which is - unfortunately - markedly different from that.

Failing that it seems that black bees can do the hornet cooking trick of Apis cerana. Perhaps their tendency to ball queens is due to an innate defence mechanism that could prove useful should we have a warm summer or two.

On the other hand, Edinburgh has just received a couple of large sealed boxes containing some sort of hyper-expensive tourist attractions, straight from the home of the Asiatic hornet. I wonder if they checked them out for stow-aways?

G.

[Jon]

I bet the pair of them ran back up the steps of the aircraft when they heard the drone of that piper.

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/pandamania-as-furry-friends-arrive-in-britain-20111205-1oetn.html

[GRIZZLY]

I notice reading thro' the news report that the "gift" from China only follows an annual payment of about £66000.00 per annum to the Chinese government.I also notice that Nick Clegg is quick to jump on the bandwagon and pretend that the "gift" is as a result of improved relationships between England and China.Perhaps he would like to fund the feed bill which is also considerable as a goodwill gesture to the Scots.

[Trog]

Bamboo grows very well on Mull. I wonder if I should plant more and get the pandas to help fund my beekeeping?

[gavin]

I heard today that the payments made to the Chinese don't even cover the costs, so maybe it is a good deal after all. Trog - get that bamboo forest planted. Maybe you can entice them over for their summer holidays with obvious benefits for the B&B businesses in the area.

Chris, it looks like you are surrounded. Get the entrance reducers ready. It seems inevitable that it will reach England so we are watching with interest. Maybe it will creep up the mild west coast first and Trog can tell us how she gets on with them. The European hornet has been spreading north in recent years (you can guess why) but it is still mostly absent from N England. I don't know what it has got against Wales - maybe it needs continental heat to really get going.

European hornet (Vespa crabro) from the NBN Gateway:

http://data.nbn.org.uk/output/gridGBv4_nbnims-2387243524054.gif
http://data.nbn.org.uk/output/gridGBv4_nbnims-2120027641246.gif

[Jon]

I can't see Asian Hornets thriving in the mizzle and the pizzle of the island of Ireland. Even the Romans couldn't hack it.
Bamboo grows well though, so we can take any spare pandas when Mull reaches saturation point.

[Rosie]

I don't know what it has got against Wales -

I think Wales is colder than people think. Since I moved here 3 years ago I have realised that it's much colder than the East Midlands which is about the extent of the hornet's natural range. I assume the cold around here is due to the elevation and the fact that almost all the weather stations and hence the statistics are located around the lowland edges of the principality.

Rosie

[chris]

Gavin, for the moment it's ok here, though the extreme SE. is a bit too close. Entrance reducers have proved to be a bad idea, as it slows down the returning foragers which are then more easily picked off.
My understanding of the spread is that the hornets follow waterways and establish a nest near to these as they need a lot of water. They start off by colonising a built up area where it is warmer before spreading into the surrounding countryside. I think food availability is more important than climate. The feconded female overwinters in a protected spot and can delay her spring appearance until there is a food supply. Nests have been established in Brittany which has rain coming in off the Atlantic very often.Sort of mizzle and pizzle I think.As for black bees cooking them, I have only heard of it happening with AMM that were imported into Asia, and they were much less effective than apis cerana. And even the latter lose up to 30% of their foragers.:(
Rosie, I lived 3 years in Leicester:eek: and where I am now has much colder winters.If the hornets climb up my mountain then Wales will have a problem as well.

[Jon]

Rosie, I lived 3 years in Leicester:eek: and where I am now has much colder winters.If the hornets climb up my mountain then Wales will have a problem as well.

So it could be that the best defense is a climate of relentless greyness and drudgery with near 100% humidity like we have here. Can drive the humans (Romans) to the edge of despair as well though.

And keeping on topic re. Alien invaders, you must all be familiar with 'The Thing'


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25_MNd-RDa8