NOVEMBER 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


9 Giant hornets headline beekeepers’ concerns


Provincial apiarist updates beekeepers on pests, diseases by TOM WALKER


PRINCE GEORGE – If you want to catch a bee, ask a beekeeper to help. That’s the strategy


provincial apiculturist Paul van Westendorp used when two Asian giant hornets were spotted and captured at a Nanaimo-area apiary in September, and it’s a good thing he did. “This is a totally other


creature,” van Westendorp told delegates to the BC Honey Producers Association annual general meeting in Prince George, October 4-6. “It is the apex insect predator – the ultimate insect hunter. They can destroy a commercial honeybee hive in less than an hour.” Asian giant hornets include a number of insects in the Vespa genus, van Westendorp explains. “The one we saw in Nanaimo, Vespa mandarinia, is a ground-nester,” he says. The hornets raid a colony


by biting and dismembering young bees and then steal the bee brood and turn it into “protein meatballs” to bring back to their nests, van Westendorp continues. “We have full confidence that if they establish themselves in BC, beekeepers will be able to deal with them effectively,” he says. “These insects have an oversize head and you will be able to screen for them.”


it.


But that is not the least of The hornets are also a


threat to livestock and wildlife, not to mention humans. People typically provoke attacks when they unwittingly disturb a nest. “In Japan, there are 40 to 60 human fatalities each year from sting attacks,” van Westendorp says, noting just a few dozen can cause trouble. “Each hornet can sting multiple times and their


venom contains a cytolytic peptide that will cause tissue damage and bleeding.” He says one of the


beekeepers involved in the eradication mission was stung several times through his beekeepers outfit, and there were open wounds on his legs.


Nanaimo beekeepers knew what to do, however. Van Westendorp reached out to them after four additional sightings, aside from at the apiary.


“I contacted them for help


after the sightings, and after confirming with different agencies the insect we were dealing with,” says van Westendorp. “They did a fantastic job.”


The Nanaimo squad mapped where the sightings were, considered the insect’s behaviour, and calculated where to look. “They found the nest in the


forest within a couple of hours,” he says. “It’s a grand story and the beekeepers deserve all the credit.” Some 100 hornets were gassed with CO2 at dusk, dug out of the nest and soaked in alcohol to preserve them. There were drones, but no virgin queens were found, confirming that the nest had not had time to develop to a point that the insects would spread. “That’s not the end of it,”


says van Westendorp, adding that it is suspected they arrived via the port of Nanaimo. “We need to be vigilant in 2020 to make sure that they did not establish themselves,” he says, noting that the climate can’t be counted on to curtail the pests. “I’ve seen nest cone that has been in a fridge for 24 hours and a freezer for 24 hours and the brood were still wiggling.” The rest of van


Westendorp’s report was not as dramatic.


There is little chance of mistaking the Asian giant hornet with domestic hornets. PAUL VAN WESTENDORP PHOTO He says he was happy with


the responses to the province’s annual spring survey that went out to the 403 beekeepers who are registered to have 10 colonies or more.


“We received 155 online


responses for a total of 39% returned, which I consider excellent,” he says. The survey noted 54,000 colonies went into the winter of 2018, with 37,000 surviving


in the spring, for a 32% winter mortality. Van Westendorp says the weather was a key factor in those losses. “We had virtually no winter


See COLONY on next page o


CK 10SE


35-40 HP


Financing* Months 0% UP TO 72


$3625 UP TO You have stuff to get done around your land? The KIOTI® CK10SE Series can


do it. With features galore and a quiet, powerful, eco-friendly diesel engine, chores don’t stand a chance. Top this deal off with KIOTI’s 6 year unlimited hour*


*Offer available October 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Offer based on the purchase of eligible equipment defined in promotional program. Additional fees may apply. Pricing, payments and models may vary by dealer. Customers must take delivery prior to the end of the program period. Some customers will not qualify. Some restrictions apply. Financing subject to credit approval. Offer available on new equipment only. Pricing and rebates in CAD dollars. Prior purchases are not eligible. 6 Year Warranty for Non-Commercial, residential use only. 6 Year Warranty applies to CS, CK10, DK10 and NX model KIOTI tractors and must be purchased and registered between September 1, 2016 – January 1, 2020. Offer valid only at participating Dealers. Offer subject to change without notice. See your dealer for details. © 2019 KIOTI Tractor Company a Division of Daedong-USA, Inc.


industry leading warranty and you can’t beat it. Learn more about the CK10SE Series and this offer at your authorized KIOTI Tractor Dealer.


Cash Back* (T-L-B )


ABBOTSFORD DUNCAN VERNON


Matsqui Ag Repair


Harbour City Equipment Timberstar Tractor


604-826-3281 778-422-3376 250-545-5441


PRINCE GEORGE Northern Acreage Supply Ltd 250-596-2273


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44