Tavistock Area Beekeepers have been out and about in Tavistock this week and last to spread word of the Asian hornet and the danger it poses.

On hand in Bedford Square last Friday (September 8) and at local supermarkets this week, the beekeepers have been speaking with residents and disseminating literature to educate on the hornet, following an increase in sightings of the insects and their nests, with two have recently been discovered in Plymouth.

Kate Crozier, a Tavistock beekeeper who has been warning of the hornets’ predatory nature, said: “In the previous seven to eight years there have been maybe one or two nests found in England, this year there have been 40 and we’re only in September. People need to be aware; they’re taking the leaflets and they really understand the message. We’re helping to identify the difference between the Asian the European hornet, the latter of which is a friend.

“Asian hornets can come over on cargo, or in tents on cars and caravans or in pots and plants. The end of September and start of October is when the mated queens are out.”

In addition, the beekeepers have also been able to help identify the hornet by displaying dead examples in casing and also helping to distinguish between locally-sourced and generic, branded and supermarket-sold honey, arguing that the former is of superior quality as it does not contain sugar syrup.

Three of the beekeepers have journeyed to Jersey this week to learn how to mark and track the hornet and are hoping to bring back further specimens and a dead nest which can be used at future stalls.

Kate said: “We’re also planning to speak with local town and parish councils to help fund the extermination of such nests; this responsibility currently falls to bee inspectors, of which there are around 60 nationally and they are already stretched.”

For more information on the beekeepers, see their website at: https://rb.gy/9gzb2