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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JULY 2019 Giant bee-killing hornet


identified in Vancouver Public vigilance helps alert beekeepers to threats


by PETER MITHAM


VANCOUVER—A massive hornet native to Asia has been identified in Vancouver, but its appetite for honeybees isn’t worrying beekeepers just yet.


Researchers at UBC and


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Japan’s Hokkaido University Museum and Ibaraki University confirmed that the newcomer was a female black-tailed hornet (Vespa ducalis). It was caught in Vancouver on May 10, and no other


examples have been seen since. While


native wasps can


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devastate bee colonies and wrought particular damage in BC last year, non-native Asian hornets are in a class of their own. A black-tailed hornet like the one found in May can grow up to 3.5 centimetres long – three times the size of a honeybee. They’re also opportunistic feeders that prey on other insects. The potential for invasive hornets to establish a foothold in BC is a growing concern for beekeepers. It was the cause of some buzz during informal discussions between sessions at the BC Honey Producers Association meeting in Victoria last fall. Some members reported sightings of out-sized hornets in the Lower Mainland, fearing they could be Asian giant hornets (Vespa mandarinia). The interlopers hadn’t been captured or identified, however.


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Provincial apiarist Paul van


Westendorp told Country Life in BC at the time that Asian hornets were not known to be in the province. The


interest but … at this point in time we’re not worried,” he said.


Dawson Creek apiarist Kerry Clark, president of the BC Honey Producers Association, isn’t


Vespa mandarinia, right, vs Vespa ducalis[FILE PHOTO]


identification of the black-tailed


hornet, while notable, shouldn’t be considered alarming, he said. “Whenever an exotic species of that kind, that’s known to be somewhat predacious, pops up in an unfamiliar place like here, there is a potential for concern,” he said. “But if it is only one single individual, there is no reason to get overly concerned.”


While others could appear, he notes that the hornets are social creatures and solitary individuals are unlikely to survive predators such as birds as well as environmental factors such as winter. In short, mortalities will exceed introductions and keep the population in check. “It’s fascinating and it certainly has piqued our


concerned, either. While wasps hit his hives hard last


year, those were native species. Occasional sightings of large wasps don’t concern him because they’re not numerous enough to suggest a nest has been established. “While I am sure many


beekeepers would be greatly concerned if any of the large species of Asian hornets were found to have established in BC, we don't have an indication of that now,” he said. “Continued vigilance, at least, seems logical to me.” Van Westendorp said media attention around the capture and identification of the black-tailed hornet in May is important. With honeybee survival top of mind for the public, greater vigilance for new and threatening species is helping ensure a faster response if and when it’s needed.


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