Technicians specialized in the control of pests removed a nest with 200 specimens of eastern wasp that has been detected in the Port of Barcelona. It is the first time that there is evidence of the presence of this species in Catalonia. The person in charge of the pest company Bionet, Roger Villahas explained to ACN that it is a worrying factespecially for the ecological impact that it can have for the native species of insects wave beekeeping.
Compared to the already known asian hornet (also called velutina), the oriental one stands out because it shows a more aggressive with the bees. Once analyzed, 200 workers and cells for future queens have been found in the nest. “We have been able to catch it in time, because the queens have not been born,” says Vila.
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“This nest could have generated three or four more nests next year,” explains Vila, head of Bionet, a specialist in Asian hornet. At night, when most of the workers are inside the nest and with a red light so as not to be seen, the technicians have acted with biocides with a quick effect to remove the hornet’s nest that had appeared in the box of a shutter in the Port of Barcelona. These are copies of a big sizeThey can reach almost three centimeters and are reddish-brown in color, with two very characteristic yellow stripes at the end of the tail.
Invasive species displacing biodiversity
Vila indicates that both the eastern and Asian avista have great potential to displace the biodiversity of the area, as they eat insects and compete for resources. In addition, in the field of public health, bites in people “do more damage”.
However, he assures that while these factors have a low incidence, the great impact is focused on the world of beekeeping, since the oriental wasps cause greater damage. From the different studies that have been done, it has been seen how the Asian wasp waits for the bee to leave the nest, hunts it on the fly, takes it to its nest and feeds the larvae.
The eastern one, on the other hand, “makes a massive attack on the hive.” They kill the entire colony and then feed and carry them off. “It is a much more devastating system,” Roger Vila pointed out.
Another difference with the Asian hornet is its adaptability to the natural environment. While the Oriental is better acclimatized in dry and warm environments, the Asian prefers humidity. “In years like this, with waves of heat and high temperatures, the eastern one adapts better than the Asian one,” Vila specified. In fact, the Asian hornets found this year have been smaller. By contrast, in 2020, when the temporary glorythere was a lot of presence of Asian hornet.
Regarding nesting, the Eastern one is more urban and opts, for example, for holes in buildings such as the boxes of the blinds, while the Asian one likes the tops of the trees more.
Shock plan to check that there are no more nests
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The oriental hornet comes from the regions of Central Asia, middle Eastnorth of Africa and the southeast of Europe. Some specimens had appeared in the Iberian Peninsula, especially in Cádiz and Valencia, but their presence in Catalonia was new. This species is not recognized as exotic precisely because it has had a strong presence in European territory for years.
The next step for the authorities is the implementation of a small crash plan to sample the grounds of the Port of Barcelona and know for sure that this nest was the only one. Thus, with the idea of preventing the oriental wasp from establishing itself in Catalonia. “The objective is for it to remain as an isolated wasp’s nest that has been detected and has been able to be eliminated”, said Vila.