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Author Topic: Asian Hornet Lyre type 'Muzzle' to give bees room to manouvre  (Read 1502 times)

Offline charentejohn

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Asian Hornet Lyre type 'Muzzle' to give bees room to manouvre
« on: August 22, 2020, 07:31:19 am »
This is for the normal Asian Hornets now in europe.  Thought I would post it as most searches return the giant ones' info.
 
Just a link to details and photos of my latest AH Muzzle attempt.  Some success as the AH sits outside it and it gives the bees the ability to exit in all directions and they do.  Makes the AH (only one at a time currently)  work for their meal, hoping they will look elsewhere.  Main point is the bees don't seem pinned down as it is not 5cm from them anymore.
Main thing is it is a 'Lyre' type of vertical strings which are hessian material which is softer and not as tensioned as wires.  Cheap to make especially in 30mm wood.

We have had these here for a few years now, killed off a small swarm I had but they mainly pin the bees inside so they don't forage.  These push the hornets away from the landing board and the bees exit wherever the hornets aren't.  They still get caught from time to time but makes it harder for the AH to catch them, so maybe they will go elsewhere ?  One or two AH are tolerable some from Spain show real infestations.
I noticed the AH form a production line when they really start, one leaves and another arrives.  Mine randomly come and go but not October when they get desperate yet.

Just fyi in case you want to try it.
https://1drv.ms/b/s!AgZCpYNgfmp7hBO3QTTC27GaD5Iy?e=oQMEa8

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Offline van from Arkansas

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Re: Asian Hornet Lyre type 'Muzzle' to give bees room to manouvre
« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2020, 09:43:49 am »
Would a queen excluder on the entrance work?
I have been around bees a long time, since birth.  I am a hobbyist so my answers often reflect this fact.  I concentrate on genetics, raise my own queens by wet graft, nicot, with natural or II breeding.  I do not sell queens, I will give queens  for free but no shipping.

Online Ben Framed

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Re: Asian Hornet Lyre type 'Muzzle' to give bees room to manouvre
« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2020, 10:54:06 am »
That looks like a good idea to me. It seems we are constantly battling pest in one form or another. Varroa Destructor, Small Hive Beetles, and now this hornet in your country. I do not know much about the Asian Hornet (yet). May I ask, what degree of pest are they for those of you which are battling these pest? In other words, if left alone, will they derive a normal healthy hive, or knock a healthy normal hive back enough to ruin it? Or at least significantly make a decrease in honey production of a normal otherwise healthy hive?
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Offline charentejohn

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Re: Asian Hornet Lyre type 'Muzzle' to give bees room to manouvre
« Reply #3 on: August 22, 2020, 07:05:00 pm »
Excluders don't really help, some 'muzzles' use small mesh 6mm that the bees struggle with.  The AH just pick them off as they squeeze through.  I tried 10mm mesh and didn't work either, of all systems the 'lyre' type seems to mildly inconvenience the bees and generally inconvenience the AH.
AH only enter a weakened hive so restricting the entrance isn't the problem, they sit as close as 5cm (2") from the landing board and the bees stay put.

Ben, like most things they will weaken a strong hive and kill off a weak hive.  Main problem is the bees not foraging so the idea is to move the AH back from the entrance, they don't like being trapped in a cage / muzzle.  They can get through 7mm gaps so can walk past the muzzles no matter what people do so the 'sweet spot' is where the AH are put off and bees don't notice.

In time they will adapt but the idea that they ball the AH and cook them is true as they do it here, but it takes 20 mins and lots of energy to kill one AH.  They only do it if they land and try to enter.  Biggest problem is they appear mainly Sept/Oct so end of season so reduce foraging then.  They say one or two are not so bad, at a distance, but three+ and they will cause problems.  In time they will co-exist, as ever, as the AH do eat other things, just when they zero in on something they are very persistent. 

Quick fix is just chicken wire, you can see the hornets in this video and the bees going round it.  The wire is ok but the bees sometimes hesitate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmRnYHiRnWw 
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Offline van from Arkansas

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Re: Asian Hornet Lyre type 'Muzzle' to give bees room to manouvre
« Reply #4 on: August 22, 2020, 07:57:14 pm »
Mr John, thanks for the input and video.

Currently we have the European Hornet, EH, that target my apiary.  The EU are not as bad as the Japanese Hornet or Asian hornet as you call them.  The EU are easily eliminated with rat shot in a 22 caliber pistol.  EU are few in number compared to the AH and don?t winter very well in Northern Arkansas.  The EH may number as many as 25 per football type/size tree nest.

Cheers

Van
I have been around bees a long time, since birth.  I am a hobbyist so my answers often reflect this fact.  I concentrate on genetics, raise my own queens by wet graft, nicot, with natural or II breeding.  I do not sell queens, I will give queens  for free but no shipping.

Online Ben Framed

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Re: Asian Hornet Lyre type 'Muzzle' to give bees room to manouvre
« Reply #5 on: August 22, 2020, 11:26:11 pm »
Thanks John.
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Offline charentejohn

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Re: Asian Hornet Lyre type 'Muzzle' to give bees room to manouvre
« Reply #6 on: August 23, 2020, 06:11:32 am »
Just thought it worth people starting to think about it as US and Aus should be ok but you never know.
Time comes anyone needs someting like this at least they will be aware of their existence and know what to research.  As they say better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it  :smile:  Now if someone searches for AH or muzzle here they should find this.

Van, The European hornets aren't such a problem here as they come and go randomly so the odd one is no big deal but regular visits aren't good.  Interestingly a neighbour's bees cooked an EU recently which is a first.  The AH form a production line, when my small colony was killed off a couple of years ago there were always 4 hovering, one left with a bee and in a minute or so another replaced it.
Writeup here http://www.planetepassion.eu/WILDLIFE-IN-FRANCE/Asian-Hornet_Vespa-velutina-nigrithorax_Frelon%20asiatique_France.html
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Offline charentejohn

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Re: Asian Hornet Lyre type 'Muzzle' to give bees room to manouvre
« Reply #7 on: August 24, 2020, 09:10:51 am »
Just an update on my 'top of the range' Lyre muzzle.   Usual summer orientation flights are hundreds flying around in the afternoon, now end of August and slowing down as very dry here.  The AH will keep coming as feeding their young now until mid October-ish.
Looked out at 1pm and saw 20 or so orienting at each hive, guards out as they seem to when orientaion occurrs.  Also guards come out for Asian Hornets and there was one.  Watched for 3 mins and I think it was as bored as me, it was trying to catch one coming and going, at one point tried to hang onto the string of the Lyre but couldn't, jsut swung from side to side as too loose.  The AH was flying with the rear body sloping down when normally they are horizontal which made me think it may have been at it for some time.
If this is true then this is working well.  The main thing I took from it was that the bees were orienting in and out of the strings and the AH couldn't catch one in 3 mins....  It will eventually but hopefully energy expended vs reward will put them off.

I don't like trapping them but wanted to see how many were coming so put out a 'TapTrap' with beer and caught 4.  As I suspected although I only see one at a time they are in a relay race back and forth.  I will look into more selective traps as they prefer bees but may go to this if they struggle to catch one.

I will keep you posted of developments.
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Online Ben Framed

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Re: Asian Hornet Lyre type 'Muzzle' to give bees room to manouvre
« Reply #8 on: August 24, 2020, 10:28:58 am »
Interesting, thanks.
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

 

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