Asian hornet nest found in bird box

The sighting on Monday was the first in the island since four queens were captured in June

The discovery of an Asian hornet nest in Guernsey demonstrates "the important role played by the public in controlling this invasive species".

The Asian Hornet Team said the nest was found inside a bird box that had fallen out of a tree in a garden off Rue de L’Ecole, Vale.

It was 4in (10cm) in diameter and contained a queen and 17 worker hornets, which were looking after 82 eggs, larvae and pupae.

"It was fortunate the nest was found and reported to us urgently," said Francis Russell, project co-ordinator.

"We know that when confined in a small space the workers and the queen will leave the primary nest to construct a larger secondary nest – typically in the tree tops nearby."

The number of Asian hornet nests was eight in 2018, two in 2019 and none in 2020

Mr Russell said: "We have placed a trap in the garden just in case we missed any of the workers and to rule out the possibility that there isn’t another nest nearby."

It is likely that this latest nest developed from a queen that arrived in the island in early June.

The Asian Hornet Team was set up to keep populations of the insect as low as possible to safeguard public health and biodiversity.

A large nest can hold as many as 5,000 hornets and although an individual hornet sting is not considered to be much worse that than of a bee or wasp, they are very defensive and if disturbed will aggressively protect their nest.