FIT2FIGHT, Baxter
FIT2FIGHT
Asian Hornets are here to stay, but it’s not the end of the world. It’s not the end of beekeeping. But it could be the end of beekeeping as we presently know it.
For our bees to survive the ravages of predation by Asian Hornets, and to continue to thrive, we may need to change the way we keep our bees and alter our expectations of what they can do. This means taking command in our apiaries, reducing the level and stress of predation, and ensuring that the colony continues to function as normally as possible whilst predation is in progress.
My first experience of Asian Hornets wreaking havoc was in my modest apiary in the Loire Valley of France. I learned a great deal from my friend Monsieur André Blatier, a shrewd, weather-beaten old Maître apiculteur. He taught me that, by putting in place a system of Integrated Apiary Management, we can survive the Asian Hornet problem, get our bees through the predation period and into winter, and still have a crop of honey in return for our efforts. To achieve this, we have to be very close to our colonies and sharpen up our beekeeping skills and apiary procedures. To put it simply, we need to raise our game and start thinking out of the box.
This book proposes a set of simple principles with guidelines for beekeepers to help manage our bees and apiaries when they’re under attack. We aim to ensure that our investment of time, effort and money is still worthwhile in the new situation.
ALAN BAXTER began beekeeping in the Loire Valley in France, where he lived and worked for 23 years. His apiary there was the target of heavy predation by Asian Hornets.
He moved to England in 2020 and now manages 20 colonies and breeds queens in 3 apiaries in Hampshire. He serves as Hampshire Beekeepers Association Asian Hornet Coordinator and is the author of the Hampshire AH Contingency Plan.
VIEW Book Review
Reviewed by Ann Chilcott (Scottish Expert Beemaster) and author of THE BEELISTENER
FIT2FIGHT: A Practical Guide For Managing The Asian Hornet is a short compact book full of practical advice on dealing with the Asian hornet when it arrives in your apiary. Alan Baxter has practical experience managing this predator from his days of beekeeping in France, and he is positive that beekeepers in the UK can deal with the new threat and continue beekeeping.
The key to success is adjusting practical beekeeping management over the active season in relation to the life stages of the Asian Hornet and to when they are most threatening. Baxter explains exactly how to achieve this through notes, bullet points, and tabulation. A traffic-light system of colour codes indicates high risk points. The book is well illustrated with many clear colour photographs and some cartoons.
The writing is casual and crafted in the style of a blog which may appeal to readers who like to find practical information quickly and in once place. However, for more in-depth reading on Asian hornet the reader will find references listed. In addition, the definitive work by Professor Stephen Martin, The Asian Hornet (Vespa velutina) Threats, Biology & Expansion, which is based on his experiences studying this hornet in Asia, and is a must-read.
Keeping colonies of honey bees strong and healthy is paramount to keeping on top of Asian hornet and there is good practical advice on apiary hygiene, disease monitoring, swarming, and other aspects of good beekeeping practice.
The controversial topic of trapping hornets is addressed. Baxter keeps an open mind explaining that no traps can guarantee 100% avoidance of capturing and damaging other insects. He points out that ideas on management will evolve and change as we learn more about how to deal with Asian hornet in the UK. Current deterrent methods, and track-and-trace tools are explained in this useful handbook.
FIT2FIGHT… achieves its goal to provide good practical advice on managing Asian hornet. However, Baxter’s use of acronyms such as NBU (National Bee Unit) is puzzling. An explanation would be a helpful consideration for beginners, and readers in other parts of the world, who may not be familiar with the jargon.
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