'Biggest Asian hornet nest of season' removed

The biggest Asian hornet nest found this season in Guernsey has been removed, pest experts say.

Agriculture, Countryside and Land Management Services (ACLMS) said staff used a cherry picker to access the nest in La Guet, Castel, on 7 September after it was located in a tree in the wooded area. There was an estimated 2,000 hornets in it nest, it added.

Annelotte Baas-Jehan, invasive non-native species policy and coordination officer, said: "Because it was a large nest, we needed to use a higher dose of pesticides, which is why it took longer to take down."

She added: "We've trapped more queens this year than previously and seen an increase in the amount of nests."

Baas-Jehan said: "We are going to crack the nest open in the lab to have a look at how many cells are in the comb. We can then start counting to see how many hornets were in the nest."

The team said there had been 12 secondary nests found in 2026 and they believed there were still four more to be found, compared to 2025, which saw eight secondary nests discovered.

The States of Guernsey said the non-native, invasive species posed a major threat to the island's biodiversity, with 39% of the hornets' diet being honeybees.

People have also been encouraged to report any sightings and share the location and direction hornets have been seen flying in to make it easier for the hornet team to detect where the nests were likely to be.

The States said it was important under invasive species regulations and guidance to destroy all nests by autumn before the insects had a chance to produce the next generation of queens.

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