Abstract
Vespa velutina, or Asian yellow-legged hornet, was accidentally introduced from China to other parts of the world: South Korea in 2003, Europe in 2004, and Japan in 2012. V. velutina represents a serious threat to native pollinators. It is known to be a fierce predator of honey bees, but can also hunt wild bees, native wasps, and other flying insects. When V. velutina colonies are developed, many hornets capture foraging bees which are coming back to their hives, causing an increase in homing failure and paralysis of foraging thus leading to colony collapse. The hornets may enter weak beehives to prey on brood and pillage honey. Unlike Apis cerana, Apis mellifera is unable to cope with the predation pressure of V. velutina. Monitoring the spread of an invasive alien species is crucial to plan appropriate management actions and activities to limit the expansion of the species. In addition, an early detection of V. velutina in areas far away from the expansion front allows a rapid response aimed to remove these isolated populations before the settlement of the species. Where V. velutina is now established, control measures to prevent colony losses must be implemented with an integrated pest management approach.
Highlights
Invasive alien species have always been a risk to ecosystems
By coming into contact with a new environment, alien species can lead to a gradual degradation and alteration of the new habitat and the decline of indigenous species, until in some cases some of them become extinct [1,2,3]
The species established itself in non-native countries such as South Korea in 2003 [9] in the southern port town of Busan and Japan, on Tsushima Island in 2012 [10,11], in Kitakyushu City on Kyushu
Summary
Invasive alien species have always been a risk to ecosystems. They are a serious obstacle to the conservation of biodiversity, both globally and locally, as their stabilization and spread in new environments break the pre-existing balances. The species established itself in non-native countries such as South Korea in 2003 [9] in the southern port town of Busan and Japan, on Tsushima Island in 2012 [10,11], in Kitakyushu City on Kyushu. Arrived in France probably in 2004 along with garden pots imported from China [14,15], the species spread to neighboring countries. From France it reached the Navarra province and Basque country (Spain) in 2010 [16,17], Galicia [18] and Catalunya [19] in
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