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From a single beast being spotted seven years ago... to a monster nest with more than 1,500 Asian Hornets found in a derelict property which made national headlines this year...
It's been a rollercoaster ride for Alastair Christie and the Jersey Asian Hornet Group, who were recently awarded the 'Environmentalists of the Year' prize at last week's Pride of Jersey Awards for their battle against the invasive species.
It's still up in the air as to whether Mr Christie and his team of volunteers have won that battle, but they have had quite the journey so far.
Express takes a look at the island's Asian Hornet story...
The first Asian hornet was spotted in Jersey in August 2016 and the first nest was found at Fliquet in June 2017.
The Asian hornet – whose Latin name is Vespa velutina – is believed to have arrived in Europe in 2004 inside a shipment of flower pots from China at the French port of Marseilles.
Since then, the species has been spreading across France, reaching St Malo in 2011, and into Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Italy.
It poses a major threat to honey bees as a single hornet can kill up to 50 bees in one day. The invasive pest also delivers a very painful sting that can be fatal to humans, with six deaths in France since the insect arrived in Marseilles.
After their arrival in Jersey, islanders were soon asked to join the hunt for nests by checking in gardens and sheds, and looking up into trees when out walking.
The Environment Department began to work with the Jersey Beekeepers' Association to halt the insects' colonisation of the island as queens prepared to establish new colonies before the onset of winter.
By August, the race was on. Using a technique for monitoring honey bees, the hornets were lured to a tree by a sugary substance where special numbered discs or spots of paint were put on their backs before they are released. The time it takes for the insects to return to the sugary substance is then used to help track down where their nests lie.
By October, ten nests had been found and destroyed. Later that month, pest control experts in Jersey undertook training in France, bringing back extra-thick suits and equipment designed to destroy nests.
In September 2017, a swarm of Asian hornets attacked a drone which was being used in the fight to stop the dangerous invasive insect from colonising the island.
Firefighters used the device carrying thermal-imaging technology to try to locate a nest around Archirondel and Anne Port.
That year, a total of 17 nests were discovered and destroyed.
In 2018, 55 nests were destroyed. Then, 83 nests in 2019.
The numbers continued to rise...
In early 2019, after Deputy John Young secured Government contingency funding, an Asian Hornet strategy was released that included an Asian Hornet Management Plan 2019.
The Government also hired an Asian Hornet Coordinator, Alastair Christie, who had served on the Jersey Bee Keepers' Association's management committee and was the managing director of Lavender Farm for 17 years.
Pictured: Alastair Christie, who was hired to spearhead the fight.
Mr Christie was tasked with investigating ways to protect the public, the island's biodiversity and honey bee populations from the impact of the population.
He gathered a team of Asian hornet volunteers who now work together to fight the invasive species.
In 2020, the Asian hornet population suffered a "dramatic – and unexplained – decline" with a lower number of nests, which some speculated was due to Covid.
There were 38 found in 2020 and 63 in 2021.
However, 2022 broke records, with 174 nests discovered throughout last year.
Pictured: Nests located from January to September 2023.
As of August 2023, a record 227 nests had been located so far this year.
The biggest one yet was found in a derelict property. It was believed to have had up to 1,500 hornets in it, and be one of the largest ever found in the British Isles.
Pictured: A monster nest of 1,500 hornets was found in a derelict property. (Alastair Christie)
Now, the Jersey Asian Hornet group tackles an average of three to four nests a day – and as many as nine or 10 on some occasions.
Our little island has now seemingly become a world leader in fighting hornet invasion.
In June 2023, the Guardian ran a piece entitled: 'Hornet hunters: the crack squad keeping an invasive species at bay on Jersey'.
Last month, 'Isle of Wight Bees' visited the Jersey Asian Hornet team for training on 'track and trace' and how to make the Isle of Wight public aware of the species.
Renewed local funding means the Government recently hired a new Senior Scientific Officer for Invasive Species.
They certainly have their work cut out for them...
In the meantime, the work of the Jersey Asian Hornet Group continues.
Pictured: The Jersey Asian Hornet Group collecting their Environmentalist(s) of the Year Award last week.
The team were recently recognised for all of their efforts fighting the invasive species with a Pride of Jersey Award.
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