| Asian predatory wasp | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Vespidae |
| Subfamily: | Vespinae |
| Genus: | Vespa |
| Species: | V. velutina |
| Binomial name | |
| Vespa velutina |
|
The Asian predatory wasp (Vespa velutina) is a species of hornet which preys on bees, grows up to about 2.5 cm long, native to China, with characteristic yellow legs. Hornets build nests, with several thousand individuals associated with one nest[1]. All hornets have stings with which they kill their prey and defend their nests.
It has become an invasive species in France where it is believed to have arrived in boxes of pottery from China in 2004[2]. Since then the wasp has been preying on honeybees. Humans have been attacked after disturbing hornets, which are not aggressive but "charges in a group as soon as it feels its nest is threatened".[1]. There have been reports of people hospitalised in France after suffering anaphylactic shock as a result of multiple stings. Due to their bigger size, the hornet's sting is nastier than that of a bee[2].
By 2009 it was thought there were several thousand nests in the area of Bordeaux (capital of the Aquitaine region) and surrounding départements.
The wasp has spread to northern Spain, as confirmed by the Beekeepers Association of the Basque Country (Gipuzkoako Erlezainen Elkartea) and the Neiker etimology institute in Irún, after breeding colonies were found. [3]