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Just a quick update which has come to my attention in the last few days:

Beginners' Course: The course for 2023 is now full. It is so popular that we have a full reserve list as well.

Asian Hornets - why worry? Well if you think it is nothing to worry about then I suggest you look at this video on YouTube. It is by Richard Noel who is based in Brittany. His mood comes over so well in this video.

I have just checked and a straight line from Cherbourg-en-Cotentin to Dorchester is just 133km or 83 miles. Given a wind from the South, as we have had recently, that is a short flying distance.

So when you get an alert to look out for Asian Hornets please take it very seriously or we could be seeing what Richard Noel sees in his apiary.

The week of the 7th to 13th September is Asian Hornet Week.

What can you do to raise awareness? Well I have written a page on the site which explains much that I have been asked about. If you are reading this page you probably know a lot about the Asian Hornet but there are a lot of people who do not. Use the Asian Hornet Week to tell as many people as you can about the threat it poses.

  • Suggest they read the web page on this site,
  • Suggest they download the App,
  • Suggest they tell at least two other people about it.
  • Suggest they go for a walk and look for strange insects
  • If they see a suspicious Asian Hornet alert the authorities using the App

And by the way we have a stainless steel extractor for sale - just when you need it. Do look at the For Sale page and see how it could be yours.

And by the way something else. On Saturday 29th August there is a program on Channel 4 by Jimmy Doherty on the Big Bee Rescue.

The Asian Hornet threat has not gone away - it is still a threat and we are all hoping that it is not building nests in the forests we are not visiting during the lockdown. BBKA now have an AHAT volunteer exercise.

As part of the process of educating as many people as possible the BBKA has several pages of information. One of those, the map page of Asian Hornet Action Team (AHAT) vounteers, has a link to an exercise for the AHAT volunteers. If you want to test your knowledge of the Asian Hornet there is a link there as well. It is not a difficult test but will see if you know what an AHAT volunteer needs to know. If you want more background information on the Asian Hornet then ahat.org.uk is a good source of information.

We also have a lot of information on our own site - both true information and examples of false information.

To do the exercise you will need your BBKA membership number. If you have forgotten what it is then dig out your receipt for you BBKA membership of your local association and the number should be on there. I did search the BBKA web site but was unable to find my number even after I had logged in - just telling you so you do not waste time looking.