Traps were placed by experts from the Nature and Landscape Protection Agency of the Czech Republic, for example in Svatá Kateřín and at the Nová Hospoda in the Tachovsk region, in Nýřany in the northern Plzeň region, Rudná near Prague and also directly in the regional capital. “It is important to monitor mainly the area around the D5 highway, which is potentially the most risky place,” explained Zdeněk Myslík.
It was this way that the Asian hornets apparently reached the country. Their first nest occurred in the Pilsen district of Skvrňany. Rudná u Prahy followed, where the invasive insect species could have been brought by a truck from abroad.
In the third case, this variant was confirmed. In Hrádek near Rokycan, employees of one of the local factories saw several Asian hornets while unloading a truck and immediately contacted experts. It was a truck from France.
The first Asian hornet trap is already hanging in Pilsen. Local beer also served as bait
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At the RTI research center of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Pilsen, they developed and manufactured a trap for Asian hornets.Video: Klára Mrázová, News
Tomáš Görner from the Nature and Landscape Protection Agency of the Czech Republic said that they had already installed dozens of traps. And it was different types, whether commercial from abroad, or even special, developed at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen.
“Overwhelmingly, the traps are near the hives. This is the ideal way, because the beekeepers will also replenish the baits and check the site. If they see anything suspicious, they contact us right away,” said Görner.
Inside the trap is a container with sweet juice. The bait is covered with a lid, so hornets and other insects will not drown in it. “The main inlet to the trap is funnel-shaped. Hornets will get there, but not back. There are smaller exit holes around the perimeter that will serve smaller insects,” explained Myslík.
Asian hornets are back. They were found in a truck in Rokycansk
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Görner reminded that traps serve only as a supplement to direct observation and cannot catch Asian hornets. “If it appears in them, it is necessary to exert efforts and try to find and eliminate the nest,” he emphasized.
People can report any suspicious occurrence to the e-mail address: [email protected] or via the application Nahlaš šršeň and also attach a photo. “It is still true that the public is the main helper in the discovery of new individuals. That’s how we found out about all the findings so far,” Görner pointed out.
Asian hornets also appeared in Rudná u Prahy
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