Parishioners thanked for helping combat invasive Asian hornets

In all, eight larger secondary nests of the invasive species were found in the island – two in the Vale and one in St Sampson's, which meant that nearly 70 Asian hornet queens (which create the colonies) were destroyed.

"We would like to thank members of the public for staying vigilant throughout the year and beekeepers who monitored their hives for Asian hornets," said Francis Russell, who coordinates the States' Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) Policy. 

"To summarise the year, we are relieved to say that after very high numbers of queens caught in the spring, a total number of eight large nests were found this year – the average from 2019-25 is six nests/year. Compared to other regions (e.g., Jersey have already reported finding over 550 nests), the situation in Guernsey appears to remain under control. Annual eradication continues to be an achievable goal and there is no evidence that this invasive pest is established on our island."

Since the first confirmed sighting on April 5th, the States-funded Asian Hornet Team have received and verified over 450 reports this year of which 170 (38%) were confirmed sightings of Asian hornets reported from either Guernsey, Sark, Herm or Alderney.

These pests target beehives, but there is no evidence of any honeybee colonies dying out as a direct consequence of Asian hornet in Guernsey but controlling these invasive hornets is vital to protect the island's native pollinators and producers of local honey.

How do they get here?
Each year during the annual "Spring Queening" they fly the 30 miles from France and can land anywhere in the Channel Islands. The trapping results by parish were as follows:

Vale = 10, St Peter's = 7, St Martin's = 14, St Peter Port = 7, Castel = 15, St Sampson's = 2, St Andrew's = 1, St Saviour's = 4, Torteval = 6, Forest = 2, unknown; queen found in trap = 1. The table below shows where the nests were found.

What to do if you think you have seen a hornet
For further information on identifying Asian hornets, please visit https://www.gov.gg/asianhornet
If you see or trap a hornet, please let the Asian Hornet Team know as soon as possible and do send in a photo to [email protected]  or 07839 197082 so that the States can confirm what you suspect might be an Asian hornet.
NEVER attempt to tackle a nest yourself. The team has all the resources, PPE and expertise to safely destroy all Asian hornets nests found in Guernsey, Herm and Sark.