Teams from UK learn to hunt Asian hornets in Jersey

The number of Asian hornets is on the rise in Jersey

Teams from around the UK are in Jersey to be trained in how to track, trace and destroy nests of Asian hornets.

The training has been organised because Asian hornet numbers are on the rise and there are concerns about how that could affect UK bee populations.

Previously the BBC reported record numbers of Asian hornets in Jersey.

As of July 2023, more than eight times the number of queen Asian hornets had been found compared with the same period in 2022.

Bait stations are set up near locations of nest sightings

Volunteer hornet hunter Jane Osborne sets up bait stations near places where hornet sightings have been reported.

The tubs are used to attract hornets, which are then marked and released.

The hunters then estimate the location of the nest by timing how long it takes for the hornet to return to the bait station.

The nest was described as "a bit of a one off"

She said: "If it flies for two minutes, we think the nest is possibly around 200 metres away.

"If it's four minutes, it's around 400 metres away - and then we're going to move our bait station along that line to get nearer to the nest."

In August Jersey's largest Asian hornet nest was destroyed.

Alastair Christie, Asian hornet coordinator for the Government of Jersey, said the nest was large for the time of year, measuring about 15 inches (40cm).

It was found in a derelict house in St Brelade's and was destroyed on 14 August.