Giants are coming? Predicting the potential spread and impacts of the giant Asian hornet (Vespa mandarinia, Hymenoptera:Vespidae) in the USA

Abstract

BACKGOUND: Biological invasions are a global concern in agriculture, food production and biodiversity. Among the invasive species, some hornets are known to have serious effects on honey bees, as found during the invasion of Vespa velutina in Europe. The recent findings of Vespa mandarinia individuals in Washington state in the west coast of the USA have raised alarm in the whole country. Here we estimate the potential spread of V. mandarinia in the USA, analyzing its potential impacts on honey bee colonies, economic losses in the honey bee industry and bee-pollinated croplands. RESULTS: We found that V. mandarinia could colonize Washington and Oregon states in the west coast and a significant proportion of the east coast. If this species spread across the country, it could threaten 95 216 ± 5551 honey bee colonies, threatening an estimated income of US$11.9 and 101.8 million for hive derived products and bee-pollinated crops production, respectively, while colonizing 60 837.8 km 2 of bee-pollinated croplands. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that V. mandarinia will have serious effects in the USA, raising the need for prompt monitoring actions and planning at different administrative levels to avoid its potential spread.

Geographic potential of the world’s largest hornet,Vespa mandariniaSmith (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), worldwide and particularly in North America

“…In the United States alone, the European honey bee provides at least $15 billion worth of pollination services and generates between $300 and 500 million in harvestable honey and other products each year (Calderone, 2012). Indeed, Alaniz, Carvajal & Vergara (2020) estimate that if spread across the US, the AGH could threaten between 11 and 100 million dollars for hive-derived products and honey bee-pollinated crops production. In Mexico, impacts on the honey bee industry are also expected in tropical areas of the country that have suitable areas for the AGH, particularly in the states of Yucatán, Campeche, and Quintana Roo.…”

“…In addition to the potential threat to the beekeeping industry (Alaniz, Carvajal & Vergara, 2020), the introduction of AGH in North America is also concerning for public health. Their powerful stings can induce severe allergic reactions or even death in hypersensitive individuals and sometimes have long-term health effects in people who receive multiple stings (Schmidt et al, 1986;Yanagawa et al, 2007).…”

Supplemental Information 11: Agreement of areas with extrapolation risk of models of Vespa mandarinia worldwide.

“…The patterns of suitability that we found in North America across multiple input data processing schemes are broadly concurrent with the results obtained by Zhu et al (2020) and Alaniz, Carvajal & Vergara (2020) (Fig. 6), who used an ensemble modeling approach for the potential invasion of AGH.…”

Risk assessment for the establishment of the Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) in the Pacific Northwest

“…In its native range in parts of mainland and eastern Asia, its distribution has been primarily linked to certain abiotic and biotic factors. Chiefly, it seems to be sensitive to high temperatures and prefers more temperate climates, areas of low elevation and high amounts of precipitation for its nesting site (Alainz et al 2020, Kim et al 2020, Zhu et al 2020). However, there are reports of V. mandarinia attacking honey bee colonies at high altitudes, such as in the Himalayan ranges (Batra 1996).…”

“…However, there are reports of V. mandarinia attacking honey bee colonies at high altitudes, such as in the Himalayan ranges (Batra 1996). Furthermore, queens prefer ‘green’ environments, such as forested areas, parks, agricultural zones, and other herbaceous settings (Kim et al 2020, Alainz et al 2020). This finding raises concerns about the risks to wild and cultivated bee populations that are in these environments.…”