Mündener hornet box

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Mündener hornet box with the remains of a bee colony

The Mündener Hornet Box is used for the successful settlement and nesting of hornet colonies . This special nesting aid was developed to remedy the lack of suitable large caves. It is the best-known and the best-populated type of nest box.

Due to the increasing lack of suitable natural nesting holes in old trees, hornets like to look for bird nest boxes , roller shutter boxes , old barns , attics , sheds , high seats or empty beehives for building their nests. However, some of these nesting sites, such as bird nesting boxes, are unsuitable for optimal development of the people, others - for example roller shutter boxes - may lead to conflicts of interest between people and their “subtenants”. For some time now, attempts have been made in Germany to create artificial nesting spaces for hornets to make the respective area more attractive or even colonizable by installing special nesting boxes in natural areas remote from settlement .

description

The box is usually made of unplaned boards 2 cm thick made of spruce or white pine and has one or two round entry holes 2 cm in diameter - often one or two vertical entry slots 1.5 cm wide and 8–12 cm high, as these are sometimes better accepted. The dimensions of the box are approximately H 65 cm × W 25 cm × L 25 cm. The entrance hole or the entrance slot is usually covered all around with aluminum or zinc sheet to ensure protection from woodpeckers .

suspension

The hornet boxes can be attached to clearings , forest edges , in gardens or on structures. The box should be hung at a height of four meters in order to be protected from disturbances and vandalism in public places. The entrance hole or the entrance slot should be oriented to the east as far as possible in order to catch the morning sun. To ensure an open approach, the approach area should be free of branches and twigs.

cleaning

Before the start of the new season, around May 1st, the old nest must be removed, otherwise it will block the nesting space. In order to allow other wintering animals ( commensals ) to hibernate or develop undisturbed, the nest box should not be cleaned before the end of April. The particularly specialized hornet beetle that lives in the waste of hornets should be mentioned here.

Colonization tips

There are indications that hornet queens are attracted to previous year's hornet nest components ( honeycombs , pieces of the nest shell). Some old nesting sites are repopulated over and over again over the years. There are even nest foundations in which the nests were attached to the old nests of the previous year. If you want to use this effect for better colonization of the hornet box, you should remove the old nest from the previous year in spring, but not clean the box too thoroughly. Placing old nest components in a newly hung box increases the possibility that it will be accepted and that colonization will take place soon.

Hints

Hornets are protected species . For this reason, inhabited nests in the Federal Republic of Germany must not be destroyed. However, if a colony has to be removed, it can often be relocated by trained people. An exemption is required for this. The city or district administration can provide information.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Mündener Hornet Box (assembly instructions as PDF). Accessed on June 29, 2010
  2. ↑ The “Mündener Horissenkasten” - instructions and information on suspension. Accessed on June 29, 2010