Social wasps in Spain: the who and where.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to list the social vespids occurring in Spain, determine their presence in each region, and correlate the data with the vespids responsible for allergic reactions and their progression over time.

METHODS

Insects distribution data were collected in two phases: from the southern half of Spain (2008-2012), and from the northern half of Spain (2016-2019). Data for the vespids were collected from the prescriptions of Hymenoptera venom immunotherapy (HVIT) at six Spanish hospitals in the years 2009 and 2019.

RESULTS

and were the most widely distributed species. was found to be present in a large part of northern Spain. During the 10 year period, the prescriptions of vespid VIT increased by 42.63%. The north of Spain saw a 3.61 fold greater predominance of prescriptions for (to some extent influenced by allergy) whereas in central and southern Spain, there was a 3.97 fold greater predominance of prescriptions for .

CONCLUSIONS

It is the first study that compares the vespid distribution maps with VIT prescription. A noteworthy finding is the wide presence of and in Spain and the appearance of allergy in the northern part of the country. Data of HVIT prescriptions reflect inter-regional variability with the predominance of Vespula (due to and ) in the north and that of in the center and south of Spain.