Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail. 8th October 2016
The Hornet is Closing In
I think gardening and outdoor life in general is getting harder for me – not because of my age (before you think it) but because of all the ‘fire-fighting’ I seem to have to do to keep all that is dear to me safe and from harm.
I have had a hell of a summer trying to keep various aspects and items of wildlife safe and often to no avail. There was the lamb I rescued early one spring morning, bottle fed and nursed for 3 days and who died in my arms late in the night, the pheasant who was sitting on 13 eggs (and who I penned off to keep safe from foxes and Yogi) and got picked off by a buzzard just days before hatching her brood; the hedgehog that I rescued from a clients garden on a bright sunny afternoon (indicative of a poorly hedgehog) and who died from pneumonia, the 4 chickens that got taken by the fox, the wild rabbits that I sportingly shared my veggies with and then who all developed myxomatosis and died the most horrific deaths in the garden (and the one who stumbled into the house to die) – honestly it all breaks my heart over and over again.
And that’s not to mention the prayers I say at the beginning of each winter for my honeybees to get through the cold wet winter months. And now the bees have another threat – the Asian hornet, which, unlike the European hornet, kills bees by decapitating them. It also actively hunts them down. Us beekeepers have been warned for 12 months or so that they were on their way over the Channel, after being accidentally introduced to France in 2004 in a shipment of pottery from China, and now they have officially arrived in the UK.
Last month a single Asian hornet was found near Tetbury, Gloucestershire – the first time the species had been seen in Britain – and since then a nest was found nearby at the top of a 55ft conifer tree.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) had previously set up a three-mile surveillance zone following the original find and a spokesman for the Animal and Plant Health Agency said no more live sightings had been made in the area after the nest was removed. It said it had been anticipating the hornets’ arrival “for some years” and had a “well-established protocol in place to eradicate them”.
I will take some comfort in the fact that Prince Charles is also feeling a bit of my pain as his hives fall within the 3 mile surveillance zone – his beekeepers are said to be ‘particularly worried and extra vigilant.’
Identify Yourself!
And I have been particularly vigilant as I have been collecting apples by the truck full lately and am inevitably surrounded by lots of humming, yellow and black stripy things. So far, thankfully, they have all been wasps. Once you have seen a hornet, you will know the difference, as they are substantially bigger than a wasp but also, apparently, have a ‘fatter head’.
The NNSS, advises that the Asian hornet is, ‘Not easily confused with any other species. It is the only hornet or wasp with an entirely dark brown or black velvety body, bordered with a fine yellow band and is lightly smaller than the native European Hornet.’
Core! Apple Curry!
And finally if you have a glut of apples (or pears), I can highly recommend taking them to Aber Valley Apple Juice in Talybont-on-Usk, in the Brecon Beacons, where they will hand press them into apple juice without any added sugar or preservatives. The bottled juice also makes fabulous Christmas presents (if you can keep it that long without drinking it yourself!) Call 01874 676607 for more details.
As National Curry Week starts on October the 10th, keep a few apples suitable for baking to make this fabulous vegetarian/vegan Chickpea and Apple Curry. It’s delicious.
1 tablespoon olive oil, curry powder, a large sliced onion, 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger, 4 cloves minced garlic, a handful of chopped fresh coriander, 1 can chopped tomatoes, 2 apples roughly chopped, 1 can chickpeas, 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add onion, ginger, and garlic and cook until onion starts to soften. Add coriander, tomatoes, apples, and chickpeas. Cover and simmer until apples are tender – around 30 to 40 minutes. Uncover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in lemon juice.
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