# French update



## DavidNudd

Hi
Not been active for a while and just moved within France near to Royan on the Atlantic coast. My few colonies survived the move, had a good summer, and fought Asian Hornets this Autumn. Fingers crossed they remain strong enough to overwinter.


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## Tenbears

Welcome, And Good luck.


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## GaryG74

Welcome to BeeSource, glad your bees made the move safely.


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## bbruff22

Tenbears said:


> Welcome, And Good luck.


+1!


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## DavidNudd

Many thanks everyone


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## JohnBruceLeonard

Welcome indeed. 

Down this way we are expecting a clandestine shipment of those wretched hornets any day now, and from all I can tell, it is but a matter of time. How goes the fight? Are you dealing with a serious infestation in your area? Any breakthroughs up there in the mainland? 

Best wishes to you.

John


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## DavidNudd

Despite setting traps in the Spring I saw few. However in the autumn there were about 3 or four attacking my three hives at any one time. They got to know when I appeared with my electronic tennis racquet and scarpered quickly but soon came back after 5 minutes. I read about someone using an electric fence down south who was catching about 500 in a few days! Luckily they don,t seem to attack me and the bees learnt to mass on the landing boards to face the attacks and fend them off. The bees also adopted the tactic of zooming straight out of the entrance and diving back into the pack massed on the landing board. Luckily no wasp got through the entrance, where I had restricted the dimensions.


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## JohnBruceLeonard

DavidNudd said:


> Despite setting traps in the Spring I saw few. However in the autumn there were about 3 or four attacking my three hives at any one time. They got to know when I appeared with my electronic tennis racquet and scarpered quickly but soon came back after 5 minutes. I read about someone using an electric fence down south who was catching about 500 in a few days! Luckily they don,t seem to attack me and the bees learnt to mass on the landing boards to face the attacks and fend them off. The bees also adopted the tactic of zooming straight out of the entrance and diving back into the pack massed on the landing board. Luckily no wasp got through the entrance, where I had restricted the dimensions.


Thank the gods for the resilience of our bees. It is wonderous that they are able to adapt to such radically new situations with such alacrity. Needless to say, I am less pleased at the cleverness of the wasps. There is a lot of fear down here for these wasps; we hear tales of beekeepers catching hundreds in a day, and still not making a dent in their populations. It is but yet another challenge for a challenged profession.

Out of curiosity, where were you living before?

May your bees pass well the winter, and thrive come spring!

John


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## DavidNudd

Working on overseas contracts I left the UK, and in 2000 settled north of Bordeaux to be near the airport.


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## radallo

welcome @DavidNudd, which are the main nectar source in your area? la Rochelle and around are more famous for its shores rather than for bees... but, I like your "compromise" 

@JohnBruceLeonard ...if I were in your boots I would be more worried by V.orientalis rather than V.velutina.... anyway, I really would like to encourage Sardinian beekeepers to improve their own bees and to rear what they need on the island, rather than import from other Italian areas or abroad... you have all you need to do that!


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## DavidNudd

We have coastal pine and oak forests interspersed with cereal and sunflower farming


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## JohnBruceLeonard

radallo said:


> @JohnBruceLeonard ...I really would like to encourage Sardinian beekeepers to improve their own bees and to rear what they need on the island, rather than import from other Italian areas or abroad... you have all you need to do that!


I couldn't agree more, radallo - really, couldn't agree more. I'll be doing my part in this, small though it may be.

As for the (ever-growing) list of exotic threats to the honey bee - to be sincere, I had never heard of V.orientalis. Here everyone speaks of V.velutina. I've looked up some information on it, and I thank you for alerting me to it. It is good to know of what might be coming - even though I am sure one could lose one's mind completely, worrying about all the dangers that might come our way. Best to do what one can to prepare, if there _is _anything to be done, and then confront these things as they come.

John


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## radallo

JohnBruceLeonard said:


> I couldn't agree more, radallo - really, couldn't agree more. I'll be doing my part in this, small though it may be.
> 
> As for the (ever-growing) list of exotic threats to the honey bee - to be sincere, I had never heard of V.orientalis. Here everyone speaks of V.velutina. I've looked up some information on it, and I thank you for alerting me to it. It is good to know of what might be coming - even though I am sure one could lose one's mind completely, worrying about all the dangers that might come our way. Best to do what one can to prepare, if there _is _anything to be done, and then confront these things as they come.
> 
> John


The bad news about V.orientalis is that is not an exotic threat, but endemic to Mediterranean area.. so differet vets law have to be applied, with less severe actions allowed. I've seen V.orientalis effect on hives in Palermo area and I was scared.

The good news is that both V.velutina and V.orientalis are rarely or almost never spread with honeybee trading

I will encourage directly Sardinian authorities, vets, beekeeping associations to improve queen rearing and nucs production... I hope most of the beeks share your views... and to be able to organize ASAP a seminar on this topic...

Radallo


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## JohnBruceLeonard

radallo said:


> I hope most of the beeks share your views... and to be able to organize ASAP a seminar on this topic...


I'd have no power to help start such a seminar, but I would be certain to attend it.


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## Michael H.

I believe the presence of V. Velutina in France was tracked down to a queen hidden in a shipment of clay bonsai pots in around 2004 rather than through honeybee trading.
We've found that trapping in the spring is essential but after breaking three 'electric tennis rackets' we found that a light plastic snow shovel does the job better. You hit them to the ground and then cut them in half with the edge of your boot. Very high-tech stuff!


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## Snowhitsky

Here's something I posted elswhere about V.Velutina and a passive trapping system a Spanish beekeeper has designed:

http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?316186-Asian-Hornet-Frelon-Asiatique-Vespa-Velutina-4-lines-of-defence-need-contacts&p=1358459#post1358459


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## AmericasBeekeeper

Welcome David!


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