Asian Hornet queen trap workshop

Andrew Durham gave us two very informative presentations earlier in the year and this briefing will cover:

• The situation as at the end of 2023
• The effect of beekeeping
• The prospect for 2024 and beyond
• A report on the first year in operation of the new French National Plan for fighting the hornet.

Andrew will take your questions at the end of the briefing.

This talk is open to all members who can see their email with details.

This talk covers theoretical and practical aspects of swarms and bait hives. Starting with a brief overview of honey bee colony reproduction, he will cover the role of scout bees in identifying a new nest site, the process of swarming, bivouacking and then relocation to the chosen location. After a brief digression into capturing swarms, he will then discuss setting up bait hives, the choice of box, its location and contents. This covers both scientific studies and how these findings can best be applied to practical beekeeping. Discussion of the contents of the bait hive necessitates another digression into using foundationless frames, which offer particular benefits for bait hives. The talk closes with a discussion of what you can expect to observe when scout bees find and favour your bait hive, and the things you need to do having attracted a swarm. These include moving it somewhere else and managing the Varroa that also arrive with the swarm.

David Evans is Emeritus Professor of Virology in the School of Biology, University of St. Andrews. His research interests included the replication and evolution of human and animal viruses, and the biology and control of both Deformed wing virus (DWV) and Chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) of honey bees. He has kept bees for many years and writes a well respected blog every Friday.