Call for Asian hornet trap hosts as queens emerge

3 hours ago

Lisa YoungChannel Islands

News image — The government classifies Asian hornets as invasive because they predate insects and bees

PA Media An Asian hornet is sitting on a bright yellow flower. It has an orange face with large brown eyes. Its thorax is covered in thick orange and black stripes. The top of its legs are black and the rest yellow. — The government classifies Asian hornets as invasive because they predate insects and bees

Experts have asked islanders to set traps for Asian hornets after a record number were reported last year.

John De Carteret, from the Jersey Asian Hornet Group, said it was important to catch as many queens as possible in this early stage to reduce the number of insects hatched.

He said 630 traps had been deployed across Jersey in 2025 which had resulted in 1,376 queen Asian hornets being caught and this year the target was 1,000 traps.

The government has classified Asian hornets as an invasive species because they are aggressive predators of native insects and are a threat to honeybees.

John De Carteret A plastic beaker has six Asian hornets in it. There are holes drilled near its base and one of the hornets has its head and front two legs poking through to the outside, but it can't move any further through the hole as its body is too large. — Volunteers modify the traps by punching holes which allow other insects to escape but are too small to allow the Asian hornets through

De Carteret recorded 694 nests in 2025, compared to 259 in 2024.

He said 38 queens had already been recorded this year in the island, including one in St Helier School and one in St Brelade.

He said they had emerged from hibernation and were vulnerable at this time.

Volunteers from the Jersey Asian Hornet Group have started modifying the government-supplied traps to allow other insects, which have been caught in the traps, to escape.

De Carteret explained they do this by punching holes in the plastic traps which are too small to allow the hornets to escape.

They also add a mat of attractant that means insects can feed but do not drown, he added.

He said the group wanted to get as many specially modified spring queens traps out across the island as possible.

"Especially with those householders who have had queens and or a nest previously, because we know that these insects will often return to the same property, even the same tree," he explained.

"We believe that capturing queens now, before they get a chance to build a nest and produce multiple hornets, in the next few weeks is an investment, not only in our biodiversity, but will potentially also prevent a lot of people being stung."

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Traps and bottles of attractant are available from the biosecurity team in the Infrastructure and Environment Department.

Volunteers have to agree to check the trap daily, release any by-catch that has not been able to get itself out and to report any Asian hornets queens via the new website page.

People interested in taking part in the spring trapping scheme should contact the senior scientific officer for invasive species, Alastair Christie, by emailing asianhornet@gov.je.

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