The 21st is the shortest day of the year. Called the Winter Solstice. It is an important day in the growing calendar, the days will be getting longer from now on, more light and soon enough spring will be here. For now we’ve winter to get through but that’s a chance to rest and recover.
Happy Christ
Asian hornets, Vespa velutina, have spread across Europe and are now in the UK. Their main threat is too honey bees. Our help forum administrator ‘Aunt Sally’ has produced this Asian Hornet advice guide to raise awareness and give advice about They are know to be a dangerous, invasive pest that have killed people all over Europe. Do not poke their nest.
Asian hornets are thought to have arrived in Bordeaux, France from China in a container of pottery in 2005. They quickly spread across France and into continental Europe. Reported in Spain in 2010, Belgium in 2011, Germany in 2014the Channel Isles in 2016 and were first spotted in the UK in late 2016.
Gloucestershire, Somerset, Devon, Dorset, Lancashire, Cornwall, Hull, Hampshire, Surrey, Kent, Suffolk and Staffordshire have all had sightings of Asian hornets.
Once established their growth rate is exponential. If allowed to establish they will be near impossible to eradicate in the UK
Winter has come, at last.
It is good to have some months doing what they should be doing.
-7 here in Oxfordshire.
From last year , when we had -10 , I have learnt that Pigeons can wipe out Kale overnight.
So, for this year I have covered everything with netting and the Pigeons have gone else where.
