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The Asian hornet threat The Asian hornet, Vespa velutina, would not have caused any comment in Europe until a chance event in 2004, when an over-wintering queen arrived in south-west France in a consignment of garden porcelain from China.

Two questions are commonly There have been several over winter in a sheltered asked. First, what is the other instances where place protected from difference between a bee and hornets and yellowjackets the elements. Rising air John Hill a wasp or hornet? By and have been introduced temperatures in spring cause large, bees are vegetarian accidentally into parts of the queen to awaken, usually MVB MRCVS and wasps and hornets are the world – yellowjackets in mid-April. It is difficult – if carnivores. Bees collect nectar to southern Australia, for not impossible – for her to John qualified from Trinity for carbohydrates and pollen example – usually through the re-enter hibernation, so if she College, Dublin, in 1975, and for protein; wasps and hornets inadvertent introduction of wakes up too soon she will recently retired as senior eat other insects, although an overwintering queen rather die of starvation. She starts partner in a six-vet, mixed they will find nectar or steal than the specific movement of a to feed on any nectar or tree practice in County Antrim, honey for fuel. nest, which would be deliberate. resin available as her fat Northern Ireland. He is reserves are low or exhausted. currently a trustee of the Pet Second, what is the difference Vespa velutina has very This helps to activate Blood Bank and is the founder between a wasp and a hornet? distinctive yellow legs – the her ovaries. president of the recently The general public refer to a only species in Europe to have formed British Bee Veterinary non-hairy, slim stinging legs this colour. There are It is believed – but not Association set up to raise as a wasp (whereas a bee is 12 sub-species and the one yet proven – that queens knowledge of bees within the more rounded and hairy); that has invaded France has undertake a post- profession. He also sits on the hornets tend to be bigger – a black thorax and is known hibernation migration Bee Health Advisory Forum, at least two centimetres in as V. velutina nigrothorax. and are capable of flying which advises ministers and length. There are some precise It has been mistaken for the considerable distances. politicians on bee policy, anatomical differences too , Vespa This is a feature of many and is an enthusiastic – the distance between the crabro, the wood wasp, hornet species and would go beekeeper himself. ocelli and the back of the head Uricerus gigas and the belted some way to explaining the is greater in hornets and the , zonaria. rapid expansion of territory relationship between the ocelli in France and surrounding and the compound eyes. Life cycle countries. Accidental A queen, mated in the movement by human means Wasps and hornets belong previous season, hibernates is also a probable factor. to the family Vespinae and have 19 species in the cavity Figure 1. Asian hornet larvae in comb cells. nest group () and 14 species in the open-air nests (Dolichovespula).

In the UK and most of Europe, there is only one species of hornet, Vespa crabro, and eight species of wasp or ‘yellowjacket’. V. crabro is often mistaken for the Asian hornet but is much bigger in 0.5 size. There has also been a hours* misidentification in the media about the Asian hornet, Vespa velutina. The newspapers published lurid articles about the Asian hornet but showed

*Suggested Personal & Professional pictures of the giant Asian Development (PPD) hornet, Vespa mandarinia. The latter is a much more aggressive species than V. velutina but, thankfully, still confined to Japan – where 20 individual INSECTS hornets can decimate a honeybee colony in 30 minutes.

64 VETERINARY PRACTICE TODAY | VOLUME SIX | ISSUE FIVE | 2018 WWW.VETCOMMUNITY.COM | ONLINE EDITION