Nine Asian hornet queens found after 'successful' year in Guernsey

Across all of the participating islands a combined total of 20 queen hornets were caught: nine in Guernsey, one in Sark, one in Herm and nine in Alderney Credit: ITV Channel

Nine Asian hornet queens were found in Guernsey last year.

More than 250 reported sightings were checked by the Asian hornet team in 2022. Two primary nests and two secondary nests were also discovered and destroyed over the summer.

The Asian hornet is a non-native invasive species and an aggressive predator of many types of insects, with up to 30% of its diet made up of honeybees.

The hornets also pose a risk to the public as they are known to attack if their nests are disturbed.

The Asian hornet team worked in two phases over the year: 'Spring Queening' and 'Track Don't Trample'.

Asian hornets have bright yellow tips to the legs, while native hornets have dark legs Credit: ITV News

'Spring Queening' runs between April and June, where the team aims to trap queen Asian hornets as they wake from hibernation or travel from France.

During this phase, specially modified traps are situated every 500 meters and regularly monitored by householders and landowners who were asked to put up a trap on their land.

The second phase, "Track Don't Trample", starts once the queen Asian hornets have left their primary nests and taken up residence in the larger secondary nests.

This is when islanders are encouraged to photograph and report suspected sightings of Asian hornets.

Of the 262 reported sightings checked by the Asian hornet team in 2022, 15 were positively identified as invasive hornets.

Francis Russell, Invasive Non-Native Species Policy & Coordination Officer, said: "The 2022 annual report highlights the success of our efforts to control and eradicate Asian hornets last year.

"Despite there being signs that 2022 was a favourable year for this invasive insect across Europe, including Jersey where they successfully destroyed 130 secondary nests, we have only seen a low number of Asian hornets, while public engagement and reporting have remained high.

"We're very grateful to members of the public across Guernsey, Herm, Sark and Alderney who have reported possible sightings to our team, as our strategy relies heavily on the vigilance and support of islanders."

Ahead of the next 'Spring Queening' phase, which will begin in April, islanders are being asked to familiarise themselves with information about Asian hornets here.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know…