From Stephen Cadney, Manchester, UK
Sofia Quaglia’s article on the oriental hornet’s liking for alcohol could explain why the commonest trap in Portugal for the Asian hornet works so well. It may also enable an immediate and easy measure to protect bees if these predators become established elsewhere (2 November, p 18).
This trap uses an empty plastic 1 or 1.5-litre water bottle, with the top cut off, inverted and taped back on to form an entry tunnel. The bottle is then filled a third to half full with an equal mix of undiluted blackcurrant juice, white vinho verde (mildly sparkling, young wine) and a light blonde beer (like San Miguel). Apart from the occasional wasp, all we have caught over several years in Portugal are Asian hornets. A local beekeeper caught 600 over a long weekend by placing these traps by his 18 hives.
