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This Asian hornet trap is incredibly effective!

Credits: screenshot Youtube / France 3 Pays de la Loire

A French beekeeper has invented an ingenious trap that aims to eliminate Asian hornets, the mortal enemies of bees and of farmers. The invention could end up being mass produced in the near future. 

French television station France 3 broadcast a report in early July 2018, showing the invention of Jean-Pierre Thomain, an amateur beekeeper from Segré in the Pays de la Loire. Thomain created an incredibly effective trap for Asian hornets (Vespa velutina), insects which are known to be capable of destroying entire domestic beehives in just one season. They also accelerate the gradual decline of beekeeping, quite simply destroying the farms.

As you can see in the above image, the trap takes the form of a box, in which there is some honey left as bait. It has two cone shaped grilled entrances, the end of which stops the hornet from being able to twist itself around and get back out. This is how the beekeeper has already trapped thousands of Asian hornets.

After having made two prototypes (one in zinc and one in wood) in association with a small local organisation, around 20 traps were manufactured in a local carpentry business. They have even made contact with a Dutch company, with a view to potential large scale production. They are talking about a selling price of between 200 and 250 euros, but this price is in fact very reasonable when we consider that it is a question of saving entire beekeeping farms!

Remember that while the bee population is being decimated by intense use of pesticides in agriculture (and also by attacks by the parasite Varroa destructo), the Asian hornet represents another significant threat. As their name indicates, they come from Asia, and since the first nest was discovered in France in 2004, they have colonised the entire French territory, according to the National Inventory of Natural Heritage (INPN).

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