Murder Hornets Found In Basel; Tram Cooling Quits; Extreme Weather Continues

News For 29 August 2023

Last week, the first nest of Asian Hornets, more commonly referred to as "murder hornets" for their intimidating appearance, was removed from a private home in the Saint Alban quartier of Basel Stadt.  The nest was found when a local beekeeper reported a sighting of the hornet to a website maintained through a collaboration between cantons in northwest Switzerland.  Entomologists from the organization sprang into action and trapped one of the hornets, which was subsequently fitted with a radio transmitter.  Eventually, the hornet returned home, revealing the location of its hive.  This was not the first time an Asian Hornet was found in Switzerland.  By 2020, hives were located in the cantons of Geneva and Jura.  Beekeepers typically are the first to find them as the Asian Hornets feed on bees and attack beehives.  If you suspect having spotted an Asian Hornet, you are encouraged to take a photo and upload it to the website asienhornisse.ch, where professionals can evaluate and respond.

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Fortunately, the heatwave plaguing Basel last week has ended.  However, the BLT, Basel's Tram operator, is still busy repairing the many air conditioning systems that failed on trams and buses after running at maximum operating capacity during the heatwave.  For the unfortunate riders on a tram or bus where the climate control system has failed, they often found it warmer inside the enclosed vehicle than the blazing heat outside.  Many passengers, with some politicians chiming in, took to social media to vent their frustration with having to ride on ovens on wheels.  For its part, the BLT, through its spokespeople, released a statement saying that most systems were functioning normally, and that under the circumstances it is not unusual for the number of air conditioners to fail given the strain.

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It might seem like a relief that the heatwave is a memory, but the extreme weather continues in Switzerland.  Starting last Thursday, as the temperatures dropped, heavy storms moved in.  In five southern regions of the country, official weather stations have measured over two meters of rainfall in the last two days.  The major Swiss rivers, whose headwaters are in the Alps are all threatening to flood in the rain-soaked regions.  A few weather-related silver linings - forecasts are calling for an end to the rain and cold weather later this week, and the precipitation has left behind the start of snow accumulation in many mountain resort areas above 2000 meters.