Researchers at the University of Tras-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) have put beekeepers and the public on full alert to seek and destroy the Asian wasp (see picture below) which recently has been captured and identified in Vila Real.
Vespa velutina, the Asian Wasp reached Europe via the port of Bordeaux in 2004 and has been killing local bees ever since, like this little chap in the picture.
"In the course of the university’s apiary work, a graduate captured two wasps and later confirmed that they were Asian wasps, a queen and worker. There is no doubt about the presence of this species in Vila Real and in other places in the north of the country," said wasp expert Paulo Russo Almeida.
In order to mobilise beekeepers, the Civil Protection agency is organising actions to combat the threat with workshops to show people how to trap and kill them.
"Given the destructive affect that this species has on the hives of our honeybees, and the danger they can pose to public health, the best course of action is to provide training on combat strategies," said Almeida.
To that end, the workshop will feature Marco Portocarrera, the ‘hornet hunter’ who will show how to construct traps for Vespa velutina and will show which baits to use.”
The earliest evidence of the killer wasp in Portugal was 2011, since which the spread has continued despite efforts to halt the advance.
Viana do Castelo has the highest number of registered cases with 619 nests identified in two years.
Vespa velutina
Vespa velutina is slightly smaller than the European hornet. Typically queens are 30 mm in length, and males about 24 mm. Workers measure about 20 mm in length.
The species has distinctive yellow tarsi. The thorax is a velvety brown or black with a brown abdomen. Each abdominal segment has a narrow posterior yellow border, except for the fourth segment, which is orange.
The head is black and the face yellow. Regional forms vary sufficiently in colour to cause difficulties in classification, and several subspecies have been variously identified or rejected. The form that is causing concern about its invasiveness in Europe is Vespa velutina nigrithorax.
Vespa velutina originates from Southeast Asia, particularly the tropical regions, from Northern India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, Taiwan, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Indo-Chinese peninsula and surrounding archipelagoes.
As an invader the hornet has appeared in France, Spain, Portugal, South Korea and Japan. Further invasions are expected in various countries including much of Europe.
