Department of Ecology and Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Vigo, Vigo, Spain.
CiMUS, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Pest Manag Sci. 2022 Dec;78(12):5142-5149. doi: 10.1002/ps.7132. Epub 2022 Sep 1.
Vespa velutina has become a species of concern in invaded regions of Europe and Asia, due to its impacts on biodiversity, apiculture and society. This hornet, a ferocious hunter of pollinating insects, poses a serious threat to biodiversity and pollination services. Despite ongoing efforts, its extermination in continental Europe is hampered by a lack of effective control methods, thus effective mitigation measures are primary concerns. The aims of this work were: (i) to study the effects of V. velutina predating on honey bee colonies, and (ii) to assess the effectiveness of electric harps in reducing hunting pressure and predation. We assessed the predation pressure and compared honey bee colony performance, body weight of workers, and winter survivorship for protected versus unprotected colonies in 36 experimental hives across three apiaries.
Electric harps protected honey bees by reducing predation pressure and therefore mitigating foraging paralysis. Consequently, foraging activity, pollen income, brood production and worker body weight were higher in protected colonies which in turn showed greater winter survivorship than those that were unprotected, especially at sites with intermediate to high levels of predation.
The predation of V. velutina affects foraging activity, breeding, body weight and colony survivorship of Apis mellifera. Electric harps contribute significantly to mitigate the impact of this invasive hornet on apiaries; however, they should be deployed in tandem with additional measures to preserve honey bee colony stocks, such as facilitating access to food sources for colonies during the periods of highest predation pressure. © 2022 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
由于大黄蜂对生物多样性、养蜂业和社会的影响，它已成为在入侵欧洲和亚洲地区令人关注的物种。这种凶猛的传粉昆虫捕食者对生物多样性和授粉服务构成了严重威胁。尽管正在努力，但由于缺乏有效的控制方法，它在欧洲大陆的灭绝受到阻碍，因此有效的缓解措施是首要关注点。这项工作的目的是：（i）研究大黄蜂捕食对蜜蜂群体的影响，（ii）评估电蜂网减少狩猎压力和捕食的效果。我们评估了捕食压力，并在三个养蜂场的 36 个实验蜂箱中比较了受保护和不受保护的蜂群的蜜蜂表现、工蜂体重以及冬季存活率。
电蜂网通过减少捕食压力保护了蜜蜂，从而缓解了觅食瘫痪。因此，受保护的蜂群觅食活动、花粉收入、幼虫生产和工蜂体重较高，冬季存活率高于不受保护的蜂群，尤其是在捕食压力中等至高的地点。
大黄蜂的捕食会影响蜜蜂的觅食活动、繁殖、体重和蜂群的存活率。电蜂网对减轻这种入侵大黄蜂对养蜂场的影响有很大贡献；然而，它们应该与其他措施一起部署，以保护蜜蜂的蜂群库存，例如在捕食压力最高的时期为蜂群提供食物来源。© 2022 作者。害虫管理科学由 John Wiley & Sons Ltd 代表化学工业协会出版。
