Species Composition and Seasonal Pattern of Vespa Hornets(Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in Youngju Residential Area, Gyoungbuk

Abstract

There is an increasing threat from Vespa wasps in agricultural and socioeconomic level as well. To determine the species composition and seasonal pattern of Vespa hornets in the small city residential area, whole year monitoring activity was conducted with help of citizen scientists involved. In Youngju residential area of Gyoungbuk province in Korea, V. crabro and V. ducalis were dominant followed by V. analis and V. mandarinia. Overwintered queens emerged and were traped from early May until mid June followed by the workers from mid July with the peak activities in the late September in 2014. Population of an invasive alien species of V. velutina seemed low in the study area but the relative abundance increased late of the season. Landscape features such as the size of woodland and green area are positively correlated with the number of Vespa caught in the traps. Seasonal patterns of 119 call for removing vespa hornets from the fire station reflected the phenology of the vespa populations in the urban area. Higher frequencies of 119 call from the house and school where young children would be densely populated imply that special care program should be adopted to mitigate the possible human health risks, supported by the longterm educational efforts of biodiversity appreciation. Further challenges exist in the climate change era with the favored condition for the IAS such as V. velutina.