3.D ASIAN WASP

ASIAN WASP

    The Asian wasp is an invasive species characterized by his black thorax and  abdomen with some yellow segments and brown legs. It's easy to difference it because of his measure of  3'5cm.

 It came from Eastern Asia to Europe through the port of Burdeaux (France) in 2004. It quickly spread and, in 2010, it arrived to Gipuzkoa. In these 6 years it has been constantly expanding around the Basque Country. In the case of Biscay there are many hives, so firemen’s receive advises of where are they every day and they are working to finish with them using special suits and tools. Most of these hives had been found high places, such as in the top of the trees, that's why most of them had been found near forests.

  The problem of this invasion might become more serious than it initially appears and it affects more aspects than the production of honey. Autochthonous bees represent an important part of the diet of the Asian wasp, but they are not their only food, Asian wasps also eat other pollinating insects and they kill our native insects, which has negative consequences for fauna. Some scientist affirm that the greatest danger is not the number of wasps that they capture, it is that autochthonous bees don't come out from the hive, which means that they don't collect pollen and don't have offspring, leading to the declining of population.

  Considering that bees pollinate 80% of wild and cultivated plants, the potential dangers that this new invasive species could be disastrous, threatening not only the beekeeping industry but also all the biodiversity.

Information sources:

http://www.elcorreo.com/vizcaya/v/20110115/pvasco-espana/avispa-asesina-coloniza-euskadi-20110115.html

http://www.elcorreo.com/bizkaia/201409/12/avispa-asesina-llega-bizkaia-20140912181439.html