Everyone on edge about hornets
OSpecial to The Herald
kanagan beekeepers and orchardists hope Asian giant hornets can be eradicated in the Lower Mainland and in Washington state before the insects spread into the Valley.
No confirmed sightings of the insects, sometimes called Murder Hornets, have yet been made in the Okanagan, regional beekeeper Stephanie Taylor said Wednesday.
“But I do think, if we are not successful in locating and eradicating their nests where the hornets have already been seen in B.C., that they could spread fairly quickly through the province,” Taylor said in an interview.
“I’m really hoping that doesn’t happen,” Taylor added. “It’s already difficult enough to manage hives with the different pests, diseases and viruses we have. It’d be great if we don’t have to deal with another threat as well.”
Although there’s been a recent surge of media interest in the Asian hornets — triggered in large part by the unusually large size of the insect — Okanagan beekeepers have been aware of the potential risk to local hives since last fall.
“We discussed this at our bee club meeting last October,” said James Atzesberger of the North Okanagan BeeKeepers Association.
The Asian hornets have drawn their killer nickname from the fact they can, and do, kill people every year in countries like Japan.
The insects are two inches long, much bigger than local hornets, and their stingers can penetrate the protective clothing worn by beekeepers, delivering seven times as much venom as produced by a honeybee.
It’s not known how the Asian hornets arrived in B.C., but one theory is they were inadvertently transported on container ships.
Nests have been found in the Vancouver area and on Vancouver Island.
The hornets’ main dietary source is other wasps and bees, which is why their potential spread is so concerning to beekeepers.
There are measures beekeepers can take to protect their hives, Taylor said, including using reinforced netting with holes too small for the hornets to pass through.
Fruit farmers, who depend on bees to pollinate crops such as apples and cherries, are also concerned about the prospect of Asian hornets becoming established in the Okanagan.
“I haven't heard from any growers that they’ve seen these Asian hornets yet,” Glen Lucas of the B.C. Fruit Growers Association said.
“And I hope it stays that way. The bees we have here, they’re our friends.”