A large Asian hornet’s nest has been removed from an oak tree at Elizabeth College – with several more also being actively monitored around the island.
Hornets were first detected in the College pollinator patch and eventually tracked from a bait station set up in the Brother’s cemetery.
The basketball sized nest was 16 metres high in the crown of a Turkey oak, and a road closure of one hour was necessary to remove it due to its location.
Treevolution were called in to access the nest who provided a cherry picker and tree surgeon who had considerable experience in working with hornets.
The Asian hornet team have also discovered a second nest in town near La Gibauderie which will be removed as soon as possible, while other nests in St Andrews around Bailiffs Cross, in Castel off Rouette de la Tour, and in the Vale off Rue de Marais are being tracked.
Francis Russell, Invasive Non-Native Species Policy & Coordination Officer, said built up areas present additional challenges for removal teams.
“After receiving a number of reports and seeing photographs of hornets hovering over pints of beer at the Swan Inn and at The Terrace restaurant, we knew we were looking for a nest in town.
“Since we started this Asian hornet control programme in 2019, this is the third occasion where we have called on the services of the Guernsey Civil Protection. They are always highly professional in setting up a cordon and securing the immediate area which allows our team to focus on safely destroying and removing these nests.”
The discovery of these nests highlights the role played by the public in reporting sightings which is essential in controlling this invasive species.
Suspected sightings should be reported to asianhornet@gov.gg or by telephone on 01481 220110 or 07839 197082.