Beryl Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 I am not a wildlife killer butI have read an article in an expat newspaper concerning a species of hornet that is newish to France , they have settled in the Lot et Garonne particularly. The problem is that they go into bee hives in september and eat all the bee larvae. Unfortunately they have no natural enemies in France and so they are flourishing.I have paraphrased the article which comments that Vespa Velutina are 3-4 cm long so smaller than native hornets and are darker with smokier wings and a distinctive yellow line on the abdomen. Their nests are spherical and can be found in barns and trees and can be easily destroyed at this time of year as the female hornets have gone away for the winter (!) . They are quite shy and its states that you shouldn't be attacked from 4 -5 metres away. It also shows how to make a hornet trap using a plastic bottle, which I can explain if anyone is interested. I have sent a pm to Chris but I am sure he knows about this already.I like bees and would hate to see this become a big wildlife issue in France, even if bees are only insects.[:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugsy Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 Total Bo***cks from the Kent News "Giant hornets almost two inches long which wipe out honey bees are set to cross the Channel because of global warming. The monster insects – with a three-inch wingspan and a sting more powerful than any British wasp – are flourishing in France where they have bought the native beekeeping industry to its knees."Fact:They are believed to have arrived in France in a shipment of Bonsai pots, and are nothing to do with global warming. They are, like our natural hornet, not normally aggressive towards people. They are, however, devastating to honey bees.Whoever wrote that c**p should be covered in jam and put in a bag full of hornets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 But they do look to be yet another imported problem, and as I replied to Beryl, I understood that they are slightly larger than the indigenous species.Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beryl Posted March 18, 2007 Author Share Posted March 18, 2007 It wasn't the Kent News where I found this article Bugbear. [:)]Thanks for the pm Chris, I have found this http://www.beekeeping.com/sante-de-labeille/articles/vespa_velutina.htm which shows what the hornets look like. [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugsy Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 [quote user="beryl"] It wasn't the Kent News where I found this article Bugbear. [/quote]I know that Beryl and I wasn't in any way having a go at you. I googled the subject after reading your post and found that sensationalism cr*p.Most of the other stuff was quite informative.............[:)][:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford Anglia Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 [quote user="beryl"]I have found this http://www.beekeeping.com/sante-de-labeille/articles/vespa_velutina.htm which shows what the hornets look like. [:)][/quote] Unless I'm mistaken, that article seems to say four things of interest:The new hornets are slightly smaller than the indiginous ones.They are also less aggressive, and possess a less painful sting, on a par with a common wasp. (Yes, I know, NOT to be laughed at).They are NOT going to decimate beekeeping in France, since the design of French domestic beehives precludes their entry. They seem to station themselves at the entry, capture a single bee at a time, and take it back to their nest.Lastly, the article seems to think that their eradication is impossible and we have to learn to live with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suninfrance Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 Oh dear - just looked at the website and I think that is what I had eating my greengages last year. They will be out of luck this year as the tree got battered in a storm last year and broke in half.Bad news for my friend just down the road who only this month brought her beehives over from England. She was planning on purchasing her bees next month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford Anglia Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 [quote user="Suninfrance"]Bad news for my friend just down the road who only this month brought her beehives over from England. She was planning on purchasing her bees next month.[/quote]From the website of French beekeepers: beryl wrote:I have found this http://www.beekeeping.com/sante-de-labeille/articles/vespa_velutina.htm which shows what the hornets look like. Unless I'm mistaken, that article seems to say four things of interest:The new hornets are slightly smaller than the indiginous ones.They are also less aggressive, and possess a less painful sting, on a par with a common wasp. (Yes, I know, NOT to be laughed at).They are NOT going to decimate beekeeping in France, since the design of French domestic beehives precludes their entry. They seem to station themselves at the entry, capture a single bee at a time, and take it back to their nest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now