The Velutine O Asian wasp is an invasive species that has been starting to be detected in Spain for a few years nowBecause it accidentally arrived in France and from there it was expanded very quickly in the south of the country, although his presence in Galicia and the Basque Country has also been found.
The Asian wasp presents a darker appearance compared to native wasps. The fourth belly segment is almost completely yellow orange. The head is black, the yellow -orange face and the legs are orange in its last part. The size varies between 17 and 32 mm long.
Asian wasp: bees -curably invasive species
The Ministry of Agriculture, the Fisheries and the Natural Environment, via the species protection service of the general directorate of the natural environment and forest management, started the control campaign of the Asian wasp (Velutine) In Mallorca. He The main objective is to prevent the expansion of these invasive species and to be able to check and eradicate.
In that sense, the minister Joan Simonet pointed out that «urgently Trade intensively on the territory with the placement of traps during this spring. That is why we will allocate a total of 28,000 euros of the next generation of EU funds within this exercise of 2025 to strengthen and intensify the fieldwork in March, April and May, with the installation of a thousand falls in the areas that were affected by the species last year, as well as in the vicinity of these spaces as a prevention measure ».
Along these lines, the general director of the natural environment and forest management, Anna Torres, also explained that “the goal is to catch the possible queens in the neighborhood (of the secondary nests that were not detected last year) and prevent them from making the primary nest. Thus the natural cycle of the wasp”.
The government asks Citizen Collaboration to detect these incoming exotic species. As one wasp Asian, you must communicate with the species protection service ([email protected]) or the green line of the consortium for the recovery of the fauna of the Balearic Islands (COFIB) (COFIB) (Lineaverdecofib.es) To locate and eliminate the nests and prevent it from spreading to the rest of the archipelago.
You can also inform the application of Mobile InvasApp (invasapp.ib.es). Nasty Help with identification and avoid confusion with native wasps An infographic is available that can be downloaded from the website of the species protection service (in particular.caib.es). The monitoring and surveillance program of this species is possible thanks to the involvement and deployment of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment, via the species and COFIB Protection Service, and has the technical advice of the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB).
The wasp Asian, bees predator and many native insects, is a danger to beekeeping and therefore for pollination. The government remembers this too wasp It is not more aggressive or more dangerous than natives, but allergic or especially corrosive people must be alert.
Discovered his presence in Mallorca in 2015
The wasp Asian was first detected in Mallorca in 2015. Thanks to the intervention of the species and COFIB Protection Service, and with the collaboration of the UIB Zoolology Laboratory, Environmental agents and beekeepers’ associations, was eradicated in 2021.
Then, in the same year 2021, after a warning, the COFIB drew a nest of much in the urbanization of Son Ramonell, in Marratxí, who later turned out that it came from a different origin from the first wave, and that it was therefore a new introduction. In 2022 and 2023 There were no nest or copies of knowledge or detections.
However, Last year he was present again, with 21 nests detected in different parts of MallorcaFirst in the municipality of Palma and later in Calvià and other municipalities of the Serra de Tramuntana, such as Estellecs, Deià, Sóller or Mancor de la Vall. All were removed by COFIB during the 2024 campaign.