Update on University of Exeter's Asian Hornet Project

摘要

I formally started working on the Asian hornet project on 1st May 2017. We had successfully applied to Defra for funding to explore what off-the-shelf technologies could be used to help track Asian hornets, eg when seen hawking outside honey bee hives, back to their nest with the aim of improving on the efficiency with which these otherwise hidden nests - often within dense foliage in the tree canopy -could be found quickly. We were keen to at least get a pilot project running this field season but knew that obtaining funds at short notice (applications for most research funds typically can take a year to be realised) would limit funds available and consequently the project was costed to the absolute minimum feasible in this instance. Thankfully, SWCJCC (South West Counties Joint Consultative Committee) and various South West beekeeping associations dug deep into their pockets and raised just short of a further ￡2000 to allow us to better link with other researchers studying Asian hornets across Europe, buy additional tags to track hornets and potentially extend our fieldwork.