# Asian Hornet / Frelon Asiatique / Vespa Velutina - 4 lines of defence - need contacts



## seansaintes (Mar 14, 2015)

Forgot to add - hornet traps are already in use everywhere by fellow beekeepers - we try to catch as many queens as we can at the start of the season, but frankly traps seem to have no effect at all, and some argue that they are completely pointless.


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## frustrateddrone (Jan 31, 2015)

I would be upset if I had to deal with them. I have seen the video's. I have thought the only way to prevent them from entering the bee hives is encase the bee hives with screen mesh or something to that effect where bees have several ways to enter, but only the diameter of the bees can get in. Doesn't prevent the hornets from eating them as they come out though.


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## HoneybeesinJapan (Apr 19, 2012)

I have to deal with them every year in Japan. We have three types. Yellow hornets, smaller version of the Asian hornet and the Giant Japanese hornets. They are flying monsters. I use a trap that fits on the front of the hive which is very effective. It doesn't stop them from getting a few bees before they are caught but it does stop the from completely devastating the hives. I just found another trap solution called the Api-Shield hornet trap that looks very effective. I'm trying out my own version of this trap now so I'll let you know how it worked in a few weeks.


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## Eduardo Gomes (Nov 10, 2014)

seansaintes said:


> they stop taking individual bees back to their nest and and instead totally destroy the colony in a frenzy of killing (see this horrific You tube video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ1eAM8CChc )


The species of wasp that this video shows is the mandarin wasp. The wasp that colonize europe is the velutina wasp. They are two distinct predatory species. The velutina wasp rarely strikes the inside of the hive, mainly preying on bees returning from field with a steady flight at beehive entrance.

A strategy that seems to be effective is to put a bait with fipronil attractive for velutina wasp and that is repulsive to bees. It is a controversial strategy that brings some side costs that some are not willing to pay.


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## Pooh Bear (Jun 19, 2015)

Just read this: a carnivorous plant that attracts and feeds on hornets. Reported in the UK daily mail. Worth a try?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...als-carnivorous-flower-eats-huge-insects.html


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## DavidNudd (Dec 13, 2015)

Hi
I had a major attack this year. On research I found an electrified trap on www.apiprotection.eu, but it seems expensive, and difficult to keep powered on all the time. Next year I plan to modify my hives with a new under hive frelon trap called Apishield - http://www.vita-europe.com/news/asian-hornet-trap-launched-combat-latest-honeybee-pest/


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## Eduardo Gomes (Nov 10, 2014)

This French beekeeper assesses the apishield .http://mielleriedesgraves.over-blog...relon-derniere-conclusion-de-l-annee2015.html

In Portugal and Spain some beekeepers are moving towards the use of Trojan horses. Good hunting!


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## DavidNudd (Dec 13, 2015)

Thanks for the link. Are you in the Algarve? I am visiting this winter.


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## Eduardo Gomes (Nov 10, 2014)

Algarve is a very good choice. I hope you enjoy your stay. I live in a town closer to the center of Portugal, called Coimbra.


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## Snowhitsky (Mar 1, 2014)

Hi,

Here is a video of a system a Spanish beekeeper is trying out:

https://www.facebook.com/acaju.comunicacionambiental.9/videos/1224580027569121/

It's in spanish but to summarise it exploits the Velutina's hunting pattern to trap it. Basically, 75% of wasps fly up and away from the hive entrance once they've captured a bee. The apiary is surrounded on three sides and above with netting which channels the wasps into wire netting at the front which is big enough for bees to get through but keeps wasps in. They can't find their way out and eventually end up into the bottle traps where they die.

His system seems to have relieved pressure on the hives quite quickly. One interesting point is that the main problem isn't so much the loss of foraging bees as the wasps besieging the hive entrance. That basically causes the bees to stop all activity to defend the hive which makes it unproductive.

I have no experience of V.Velutina but thought I'd share this video as some serious thought seems to have gone into the design.


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