Remember me making fun of the hysteria over Asian hornets? Well, C. wrote to tell me that one had been found in Somerset, and since I got her email a nest has been found in Gloucestershire. It’s the size of a pumpkin. Or it was before it was destroyed.
That is, I admit, big enough to hold my attention. But the hornets themselves are not the size of lobsters. They’re smaller than British bees.
They really have crossed the channel, though, and they do pose a threat to bee colonies. C.’s husband is a beekeeper, which is why she knows about this, and why she could tell me how to protect a beehive: “I particularly like the suggested baits to put in traps,” she wrote. “As in France, ‘a dark beer, mixed with 25ml of strawberry syrup and 25ml of orange liqueur has proven to work well.’ “
You can set that out for the hornets or for the beekeeper, at your discretion.
The Independent, which reported on the newly found nest, quotes the Deputy Director for Plant and Bee Health as saying that the hornets “pose no greater risk to human health than a bee, though we recognise the damage they can cause to honey bee colonies. That’s why we are taking swift and robust action to identify and destroy any nests.”
So yes, they are a problem, but no, the world isn’t ending. Yet. And if you’re losing sleep over them, try the recipe above. It’s worked well in France.
Notes from the U.K. 
Reblogged this on saywhatumean2say and commented:
I am more and more worried about the world bee situation and here is another worry. However, I think I’ll have a little of the “hornet bait” as prescribed in France to Calm my Shaky Nerves on this subject. ~~dru~~
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Understood. We should all be worried. Then we should all figure out what to do, and that’s where I run into problems.
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That bait recipe reminds me of the old Mr Boston drink book. “Strawberry liquor? I don’t have any strawberry liquor. I wonder if I can substitute Triple-Sec? Who’s gonna know?”
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If you drink the evidence, no one can prove a thing.
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Everybody is picking on the poor bees these days.
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True. It’s a rotten time for one more thing to come and put pressure on them.
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That recipe probably makes the hornets drunk and docile. Maudlin, at best. Lamenting how much better they had it before that cruel twist of fate came and knocked their house down…..I am feeling maudlin just thinking about it. Perhaps I will imbibe some of that concoction.
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It’s good to be reminded that they have a point of view worth considering. They didn’t particularly plan to invade a country–fate just dumped them here. I’d give myself a few hours (or weeks, or months) to get maudlin as well.
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Good luck! :)
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Sorry… I’ve been so utterly busy that I haven’t kept up with blogs. We’re trying to do a last push to get the new windows in and smoothing out the steep driveway (which was quite scary) before the rainy season. Just wanted to send you this link for expat voting in the upcoming election while I still had track of it: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/globalvote_partners/
There’s also a site that Bernie (or friends) that lists progressives who are running on lower ballot slots. You do get to vote there, too, don’t you? https://ourrevolution.com/about Perhaps helpful if you’re not keeping up?
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Gunta, thanks, that’s really thoughtful. We have voted, but I appreciate being reminded all the same.
And I’ve been crazed and barely keeping up with other people’s blogs myself.
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