Illustration of an Asian hornet near its nest, here near Tours.

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Alain Jocard / AFP

  • Beekeeper in Finistère, Denis Jaffré has developed a trap to capture the queens of Asian hornets and thus limit their proliferation.

  • Awarded at the Lépine competition in 2018, its trap is increasingly requested by beekeepers and communities.

  • Asian hornets are formidable bee eaters and have become a nightmare for beekeepers.

Many did not take it seriously.

They must probably regret it.

Based in Locmélar, east of Brest, Denis Jaffré has long been snubbed by the main leaders of French beekeeping before finally being recognized by his peers for his revolutionary invention.

Tired of seeing his colonies of bees being eaten by voracious Asian hornets, the Breton beekeeper has thought a lot to develop a trap to effectively fight against this scourge, the first appearances of which in France date back to 2005. “I have it. saw for the first time in 2009 around my hives.

We lived with it.

But in 2016, I lost 35 colonies out of a hundred.

It was a real trauma for me.

I thought about it day and night, I couldn't do anything else, ”explains Denis Jaffré.

Up to 150 queens captured in spring

In four months, the inventor perfected an ingenious system of capture which only attacks queens, the only ones capable of setting up a colony and controlling a nest.

He manufactures the first prototypes using a 3D printer and gets help from plastic students from Questembert (Morbihan).

In 2018, he entered the Lépine competition, where he won a gold medal that was as gratifying as it was unexpected.

“I have studied hornets a lot to understand them better.

I captured queens and tagged them to better observe them.

In the spring, they fight for a nest.

If we manage to capture them, we prevent the colonies from developing, ”says Denis Jaffré.

Since setting up his traps, the beekeeper has seen his bees live normally, without fear of being eaten by the hornets, which have disappeared from the area.

Sized to the millimeter and loaded with wax for baiting, its traps are very selective and only keep queens, the largest specimens of this species.

They can catch up to 150 in the spring.

Denis Jaffré is a beekeeper in Finistère.

He has developed an Asian hornet trap that won the Lépine competition.

- JabeProd

More and more solicited by communities and honey professionals, the Breton created his company JabeProd and presents itself as a future alternative to the destruction of nests carried out by tens of thousands each year in France.

“In 2019 in Finistère, we destroyed 6,000 nests.

And yet, there are still just as many.

This shows that the curative has no effect on the proliferation of the species because at that time, the queens left the nest to settle elsewhere ”.

He also destroys nests, but he boasts an ecological technique that does not use chemicals that are dangerous for biodiversity.

“Everyone does not care and the State validates this method.

It's up to us to tell them about this inconsistency ”.

More and more communities are calling on the services of his company, which sees its order book overflowing.

Because many French territories want to get rid of the Asian invader.

In Biarritz, 63 traps have been installed and will be gradually moved to cover the whole of this area that many describe as infested.

The bees appreciate, the beekeepers smile.

The locals too.

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