Asian predatory wasp

Vespa velutina

Vespa velutina is native to Southeast Asia Hornissenart, which was discovered in the fall of 2005 in southwestern France in the department of Lot- et- Garonne and is now also detected in the Dordogne, Gironde, Landes and Pyrénées- Atlantiques. Presumably, the species was introduced in 2004 by sea from China.

In reports of problems for beekeeping type is often simply called Asian hornet, which sometimes, however, the Asian Riesenhornisse can be meant.

Features

The queens reach a body length of about 3 centimeters, workers are about 2.4 inches long. Thus, the species is slightly smaller than the widely used in Europe hornet (Vespa crabro ). Their coloring varies depending on the subspecies. Vespa velutina nigrithorax, the entrained in France subspecies has a black base color and a fine, golden pubescence. Her head is black or dark brown, front only he is orange. The first segment of the abdomen has on the border for the second a fine, whitish to yellow band. The third segment carrying a thin, the fourth wide yellow-orange napkin, the fifth and sixth segments are brown.

Occurrence

The original occurrence of Vespa velutina includes southern China, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Way of life

The animals are predators and hunt in flight various flying insects. They can even fly backwards. They hunt it also honey bees right before their flight holes and can therefore in greater numbers is a serious problem for beekeepers represent. However, they captured only a few bees in individual hunting and is therefore much less dangerous than the Asian Riesenhornisse (Vespa mandarinia ), which can wipe out entire bee colonies in group attacks. The Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera), in contrast to the Eastern honey bee ( Apis cerana ) to significantly worse defense strategies, as the latter are better adapted to these enemies.

The hornets are not aggressive but defend their nests in approach under two meters in the swarm. The up to 60 centimeters long, nests are usually built in trees high above, rare to find, for example, attics and sheds. The large nests comprise a nation with several thousands of individuals. The nest is most often formed but at a different location, the entire state later moves to a suitable place.