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Asian Hornet Conference 2021 BBKA ASIAN HORNET CONFERENCE 6TH MARCH 2021 Summary Notes of Morning Sessions SESSION ONE: THE BIOLOGY OF THE ASIAN HORNET BY PROFESSOR STEPHEN MARTIN Key: AH = Asian Hornet/s The biology of AH and the honey bee is very different. In AH, new queens are mated in the autumn as the colony is dying out, then go into hibernation. In spring, the queens emerge, feed on pollen and tree resin and build a starter nest out of paper. Over the next month the nest will slowly enlarge. After a couple of months there’s a small group of offspring. The queen now stays in the nest laying eggs, while the workers do the rest. Nest grows and will be at its maximum in the autumn. Nest usually dies out with the first frosts. As the colony dwindles it produces a batch of hundreds to thousands virgin queens and males. They mate, the males die, and the mated queens overwinter. AH don’t store honey and are carnivorous. They are at their most vulnerable in March and hibernate in places that are dry and cold eg under roof of beehive, old caravans, out- buildings, under tarpaulins. The queen folds her wings under the abdomen. Once she breaks that position she can’t re-enter hibernation. When new queen emerges in April, her first job is to find food, as she has no fat body now so food is vital. She builds an ‘embryo’ (very small) nest. Can find these in bird boxes, cavities etc. Lays about half a dozen cells which are very vulnerable to predators like ants. Nest size goes from golf ball to tennis ball. Once it reaches small football size, the colony relocates the nest. About 100+ workers at this stage. Embryo nest is outgrowing the space it was started in, so nest relocates. Scouts choose new location, usually high up in trees. They run two nests for a time (new nest and embryo nest) then queen moves to the new nest. AH is only one of three hornet species that can relocate nest. New nest can really expand in size. They don’t always move, depends where first nest was started. They like clear and easy access to nests, so high in trees or even cliff faces. Key time for colony is July, August and September, when there’s rapid expansion. This is when majority of nests have been spotted as they are large and obvious. Cross-section of nest will reveal about 7-8,000 cells arranged in concentric circles. Late September time, first frosts, colonies disappear. But can linger on in nests if there is food, so if access to honey bees then nests can be prolonged. Nests can expand to 2m+ tall. Some photos where colony had access to extra food the nest was almost size of adult human. Predating honey bees prolongs size of nest. Comparing the different sexes of the AH: queen, worker and male all look similar and same size, so not easy to distinguish. Males have slightly longer antennae and marginally squared off abdomen. If open up and find white fat bodies, these are the new queens. AH arrived in Korea in 2003, and spread well. 100,000 nests recorded, 15,000 injuries and 10 deaths/yr, mainly urban areas. AH will concede food to larger hornets, so may explain its move into urban areas. Another problem, in Japan, noticed there is cross-breeding of native hornet queens with AH males. Tactic to get rid of other species. No native hornet sperm found in AH queens. AH affects pollination of wild plants as it is removing the pollinators. It has natural predators but they don’t impact much. Moku (RNA) virus detected in AH from Jersey, France and Belgium. Very common in European yellow-jackets, sometimes seen in honey bees. AH v good at preying on honey bees, which account for 38% of AH food, with 20% social wasps, 30% flies. Needs 11kg of insects per AH nest. Apis cerana (asian honey bee) has tactics to deal with AH eg use waves or ball hornet. European honey bee not yet adapted to AH. Giant Asian Hornet (media termed “murder hornet”) established in forests around Vancouver. Huge hornet which does mass attacks on honey bee colonies to get brood and honey. Takes heads off. Apis cerana uses animal dung on entrance against mass attacks. Hornets don’t like it and leave alone. If beekeeper reduces entrance, hornets will just chew their way in. But bees are clever, will also ball hornet and heat it to death. Will take some time for mellifera to learn this. Global suitability mapping for Giant Asian Hornet includes Europe, it would do well in the UK. Q&A key points: Tree resin provides source of carbohydrate. Temp inside nest ~32c. AH gives off solution, can use to heat muscles to maintain temp. Ants don’t pose a threat as AH uses ant repellant so ant can’t leave a trail for other ants to follow. As long as AH has sufficient food it will survive. Their ‘northern limit’ is increasing. Native hornet is now in Yorkshire. When AH queen emerges in spring, v placid at this time. Easy to bag up. She defends embryo nest against other queens; queen fighting over usurping, so some natural regulation of population this way. Eg in NZ, paid children to collect single wasp queens in spring, then had the best year for wasps ever! Probably due to lack of usurpation queen deaths. Just a matter of time until AH established in UK, then we will have lost control of it. Each nest needs 11kg of food, and it will go for easiest food source. Apis cerana is not easy, but mellifera is. It’s another invasive threat, minor compared to climate change and pesticides, but another stressor. Mating occurs outside nest probably above forest canopy, queens don’t return. Queens get fat bodies, mate, leave, hibernate. To avoid in-breeding, males differentiate using pheromones so don’t unite with queens from own nest. Also emerge a few days apart so reduces chances of in breeding. Drones die after mating. 2020 a quiet year, maybe due to COVID, less travel. Most brought over in caravans etc. AH travels shortest distance for food, laziest option. Once find hive of bees, like an open supermarket. Should really call AH the yellow-legged hornet, to distinguish from giant Asian hornet. AH tends to hunt early mornings and late evenings when prey is torpid. Will take prey from spider’s nests. In Europe AH got access to European honey bees so can produce more queens than in Asia. AH is a multiple-mated species (mates with several males) so good variety of genes. Honey bees can do a recalibration ie shuffle their genes to get rid of in-breeding. Colonies in France probably only came from 1-2 AH queens. So have genetic mechanisms for getting round these problems. Best way to interrupt life-cycle of AH - destroying the nests. No point trying to collect queens as about 99% die anyway, natural selection. Once nests are relocated and become established, they become visible - this is the time to remove them. If you remove 95% of all nests, only reduce AH population by 50% as they can bounce back. Very hard to locate nests. SESSION TWO: THE FRENCH EXPERIENCE BY ANDREW DURHAM, CAMBRIDGE BKA The best hope of stopping the AH is the Asian Hornet Team. Situation in France: they have the equivalent of our BBKA, BKA’s, NBU and individual beekeepers. AH nest densities vary tremendously across France. What factors affect numbers? Cote D’Or - AH been there about 10 years. It disappeared, then reappeared in 2016. Similar to Pas de Calais. The primary spread of AH has been along the major rivers. In more mountainous areas eg Massif Central, very small established numbers. There is an association with rivers and canals. AH likes to nest near water and urban areas. Urban reporting bias, rural nests under-reported? In 2018, early warm spring, lovely warm summer - AH nests quadrupled. Where get early warm spring then frosts, reduces nests. Weather is major factor in year-on-year numbers. AH follows scent to find its prey; honey, pollen, nasonov glands. As areas are warming up, so nest numbers increase. AH is adaptable and climate is changing to its advantage. Physical geography affects spread; high ground, fewer nests. AH effect on French beekeepers: education on AH is vital for beekeepers. Reported that colonies declined by 20-30%. In 2017, French senate committee concluded biggest threats to honey bees were: pathogens and pesticides, loss of forage, climate change and pests (including AH). Top pest is varroa. All effects cumulative. Winter mortality rates for 2017/18 - 30% loss nationally. Some areas over 40%. Near Paris 49%. Four main reasons for mortality: weather; agriculture; beekeeping practices; varroa. AH didn’t get a mention but could be straw that breaks the camel’s back. Honey production figures for France: 1995 - 35,000 tonnes, 2015 - 17,000, 2017 - 20,000, 2018 - 28,000. For a good 15 years now, forage in France is over by July, whereas before it went on for another few weeks. Due to climate change. Initial response in France to AH: no strategy as belief that no risk to public health. Beekeepers’ reports of colony losses dismissed as anecdotal. Also belief that AH would become self-limiting. AH has had quite an impact in France eg on wine-production, hedge-cutting, farmers. In recent years AH nests have come down from the trees to lower down, almost 70% are now below 5m.
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