In the rolling hills of Finistère, in the Brittany region of France, Denis Jaffré had carved out a life defined by calm, rhythm, and purpose. After decades spent at sea as a sailor, he chose a quieter path, one deeply connected to the land. Beekeeping became more than a profession for him; it was a way of living in balance with nature. Each hive represented patience, observation, and years of careful work. For Denis, tending bees was not simply about honey production, but about stewardship and respect for the fragile systems that sustain life.
That sense of balance was violently disrupted in 2017, when Asian hornets—an invasive species that had been spreading rapidly across Europe—began attacking his apiary. The hornets preyed relentlessly on his bees, hovering near the hives and killing workers one by one. Within a matter of months, Denis lost nearly half of his colonies. The devastation went far beyond financial loss. Every destroyed hive carried emotional weight, symbolizing years of effort, care, and connection with his environment. His livelihood was threatened, but so was his sense of purpose.
Faced with this crisis, Denis refused to give up. Abandoning beekeeping would have meant surrendering not only his work, but also the values that guided his life. Instead, he turned to problem-solving. Drawing on his experience as a sailor—where improvisation and practical ingenuity are often a matter of survival—he began experimenting at home. Using simple, accessible materials, Denis set out to design a trap that could stop the hornets without damaging the delicate balance of surrounding wildlife.
The early stages were frustrating. Many prototypes failed outright. Some traps caught the wrong insects, putting beneficial species at risk. Others simply did not work efficiently enough to reduce hornet populations. But Denis persisted, refining his ideas through careful observation and repeated testing. Over time, he developed a solution that stood apart from conventional methods. His final design used natural bait and a fabric-covered structure with narrow entry points. These openings were precisely sized to allow Asian hornets to enter while preventing bees and other pollinators from being trapped.
The results were striking. As Denis deployed the improved traps around his apiary, the pressure on his remaining hives eased. The bees began to recover, regaining stability and strength. Word of his success spread quickly among fellow beekeepers, many of whom were facing the same threat. What began as a personal response to a local crisis started to attract wider interest.
In 2019, Denis’s invention gained national recognition at the prestigious Lépine Competition, an event known for highlighting practical and innovative solutions. The acknowledgment validated years of quiet experimentation and brought broader attention to his work. Encouraged by the response, Denis took a decisive step forward. In 2021, he founded Jabeprode, a small company dedicated to producing his traps using environmentally responsible methods.
Today, Jabeprode operates from a workshop in Bodilis, where each trap is assembled by hand. The focus remains on quality, sustainability, and ecological responsibility rather than mass production. Denis’s traps are now used by beekeepers across many European countries, helping to protect countless colonies from invasive predators without relying on toxic chemicals.
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