News: Asian Hornet Nest Discovered in GA

[The15thMember]

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/invasive-hornet-species-nest-found-savannah-georgia

Note that this species is Vespa velutina the Asian yellow-legged hornet, NOT Vespa mandarina the Asian giant hornet AKA the murder hornet.  Still very bad news for European honey bees though.  Hopefully they were able to eradicate all of the hornets. 

[Michael Bush]

"Eradicate" is a myth.  Nothing is eradicated once it's in the wild.

[Ben Framed]

You will not get rebuttal from me on this Michael. I have thought of this time and again with SHB, snakes, fish and other invasive creatures here in America. But I sadly think of it when reading the topic varroa in australia. At the 'very first' I had hope that the effort might have a slim chance of success, but at this point I see no possible way of expelling the mite there. I do not 'see any way' the mite can be contained now, on the contrary, it is steady making progress 'no matter' who or what is blamed there. The fight is over, in my opinion..  As you pointed out early on that topic it only takes one mite. Every single small mite would have had to have been eradicated.

I regularly post on that topic, concentrating on posting updated mite progress, (maps); But have not flat out stated my opinion on that topic as it has not been ask for.  And my opinion is just that, 'one person's opinion'.

Phillip

[Michael Bush]

Yes I send all my best wishes for success in Australia and any other attempt anywhere for any invasive.  But I don't hold out much hope and it seems like a waste to me.

[Ben Framed]

Yes I send all my best wishes for success in Australia and any other attempt anywhere for any invasive.  But I don't hold out much hope and it seems like a waste to me.

I agree...

[The15thMember]

We haven't heard anything more about the "murder hornets", so hopefully that situation was taken care of.  Hopefully this one can be as well, but it's certainly a difficult, if not impossible, task. 

Beekeepers in England and other European countries, you guys have Asian yellow-legged hornets in some areas, don't you?

[NigelP]

Very rare Asian Hornet nests were found in UK until this year....but alas nearly 30 nests (so far) found this season, mainly on English South coast. So it's here and we will have to listen to how our French beekeeping chums deal with it.....as they have had it much worse and for much longer.

[Jim134]

"Eradicate" is a myth.  Nothing is eradicated once it's in the wild.

      I personally don't think for 1 minute. That. the Asian hornets in the USA are eradicated.. Of course it may have slowed them down.. Does anyone, Here know what Asian Hornets eat beside Honeybees ?

   From local beekeepers tell me.. Asian hornets are everywhere in the Philippines
 

       BEE  HAPPY  Jim134   

[The15thMember]

Does anyone, Here know what Asian Hornets eat beside Honeybees ?

Here is what Wikipedia has on the subject.

V. velutina opportunistically hunts a very wide range of insects, including flies, dragonflies, and Orthoptera, typically capturing them by pursuit.[2]

Predation on honeybees
The major concern about their invasiveness, however, is that when they find a honey bee colony or an apiary, they tend to settle down and specialize in honey bees as their prey, as do the larger Japanese giant hornets. A hornet occupies a position above a beehive as its hunting territory. It flies about within an area of about half a square metre, scanning the direction from which foraging honey bees return to the hive. Each hornet vigorously defends its hunting territory, chasing off any rivals. However, as soon as it catches a bee, it flies off and another hornet replaces it, usually within a few seconds. The circadian activities of the two species are similar, and the hunting hornets match them; their most intense activity is in the morning and afternoon, not near dusk or noon.[1]

In its native range, V. velutina mainly hunts Apis cerana, the eastern honey bee, which has evolved a strategy of avoiding hovering hornets by rapid entry and exit from the hive when hornets are about. The guard bees also ball hornets to death. However, where A. mellifera, the western honey bee, has been imported, V. velutina finds them easier prey than A. cerana, because A. mellifera has not been subjected to selection for countering concentrated hawking by hornets. For example, A. mellifera approach their hives more indirectly and slowly when they detect hawking hornets, instead of darting in as fast as possible in the way that A. cerana does. They also ball hornets, but less effectively, and they do not achieve as high a temperature in the ball. Furthermore, when they detect that hornets are hawking, A. cerana tend to withdraw into the nest, but A. mellifera do not.[1]

A. cerana guard bees also use wing shimmering in response to the presence of V. velutina. This has variously been suggested to be an aposematic signal or a strategy for disruption of visual patterns, similar to the behavior of Apis cerana nuluensis and Apis dorsata.[7], but instead has been shown, in conjunction with rocking, to be endothermic heat production in preparation for a ball attack on the hornet.[8] Whilst A. mellifera, also ball attack hornets, they exhibit no such endothermic heat production behavior,[8] and when A. mellifera occurs together with A. cerana, the hornet V. velutina preferentially hawks A. mellifera foragers.[1]

[Jim134]

  Thank You The 15th member


    BEE HAPPY  Jim134   

[Ben Framed]

Just a few days after we were talking about the invasive Varroa Destructor situation In Australia, it seems NSW has officially changed their position from eradication efforts, to Varroa management.

Has there been any updated on the Asian Hornet situation reported here in America? Hopefully the Asian Hornet is stopped here in America though concern is certainly justified.

After reading Reagan's post describing the Asian Hornets habits, perhaps beekeepers in the surrounding areas of the last seen hornets will vigently keep an eye of their hives in early morning and late evening just to make sure no more are in the area?

Philip

[beesnweeds]

Has there been any updated on the Asian Hornet situation reported here in America? Hopefully the Asian Hornet is stopped here in America though concern is certainly justified.

Yes.  Gard Otis professor at the University of Guelph said last night that there has been no reports of giant hornets in 22 / 23.  There are no updates on the yellow legged hornet in Georgia.  If the yellow legged hornet isn't eradicated it will mostly become more of a problem for southern state beekeepers.  Its not all doom and gloom news dealing with them.

[The15thMember]

Just wanted to put this here for reference.  The European hornet, which has been in the US since 1840, is very similar looking to the Asian yellow-legged hornet.  European hornets will come and catch flying bees out in front of colonies, but they don't exhibit the "hawking" behavior of the Asian hornet, which can be so destructive to European bee colonies. 

Note the drippy pattern on the European hornet, which is absent on the Asian hornet. 

[Ben Framed]

Thanks Reagan. Good stuff!

Phillip