Record number of Asian Hornet nests found in Jersey in 2022

  • Otis Holmes reports

A record number of Asian Hornet nests have been found in Jersey this year, breaking the previous record from 2019.

Asian Hornets were first spotted in Jersey in 2016. By 2019, a group of hornet hunters found 83 nests across Jersey. As of September 2022, 140 hornet nests have already been found.

The Jersey Asian Hornet Group are asking for more volunteers to help find nests across the island.

The recent warm and dry conditions are part of the reason why there is a spike in numbers.

One of the 140 Asian hornet nests found in Jersey this year. Credit: ITV Channel Television

Alastair Christie, the government's Asian Hornet Coordinator, says: It's been an incredibly hectic year tracking down these nests and there's still evidence that there might be 15 to 20 of them still out there.

"So the volunteers, even though the weather is a bit dodgy, are still out there, still hunting hornet nests and trying to get them before they can produce the next generation."

Bob Hogge is a beekeeper in Jersey who has a license to track Asian Hornets and examine them.

He says that the public does not need to be concerned about being attacked by them. The more concerning factor is the knock-on effect of what they like to feed on which are bees.

He says: "It's vital that everyone plays their part by reporting any sightings.

"The male bees are produced in September, the Queens will be starting to be produced now. They are the most important.

"The rest of the nest dies out, the Queens are the only things that live through the winter. And if we don't find them before they fly away and mate and go into hibernation, we have big trouble next year."

The Jersey Asian Hornet Group is asking people to report any sightings of the species.