Biologist of University of Exeter We conducted the first large-scale study on Asian Hornet diets (Vespa Velutina), exploiting deep sequences to characterize the intestinal content of larvae in Jersey, France, Spain and the UK. European honeybees were the most common species found in the Hornets, but their diet is much broader. The analysis detected 1,449 invertebrate species, increasing the prey abundance of samples from south latitude.
The invasive species of Asian hornets are now found in much of Western Europe.
The nests are destroyed every year in mainland Britain as authorities try to lock out the seeds.
“The University of Exeter has been working hard to understand,” said Dr. Sifreya Pedersen, a researcher at the University of Exeter.
“Diets vary strongly across seasons and regions, indicating that they are highly flexible predators.”
“Most insect populations are reduced due to factors such as habitat destruction and chemical contamination.”
“The expanded areas where the Hornets live in Asia pose an extra threat.”
In this study, Dr. Pedersen and colleagues used a method called deep sequencing to identify the visceral prey species of over 1,500 Asian hornet larvae eating foods offered by adult hornets.
Of the top 50 invertebrate prey species identified, 43 are known to visit flowers. Among these were pollinators of three major European crops.
“Insects play an important role in enabling ecosystems to function, including pollination, decomposition and pest control,” Dr. Pedersen said.
“Our research provides important additional evidence of the threat posed as the Asian Hornets spread across Europe,” said Dr. Peter Kennedy of the University of Exeter.
The researchers identified 1,449 operational taxonomic units in the internal organs of hornet larvae.
More than half could be identified as a specific species, but the rest could not. Therefore, the exact number of species contained in the sample is not certain.
“We have provided the most comprehensive view of the European Asian Hornet diet to date, highlighting the highly broad and flexible potential prey,” the scientist said.
“The dietary composition shows that it differs across geographical regions and throughout the Hornets' active season, indicating high adaptability to new ecosystems. It drives both the invasive success of Asian hornets and the risks they pose to a wide range of native invertebrate fauna.”
“The growing prevalence of dietary bees in Europe has agreed to previous research and reports from beekeepers, supporting concerns about the risks of aquaculture.”
“Our results found that Asian hornets exhibit high predation frequencies on wild pollinators and recyclers, revealing further potential ecosystem-level pressures, implying a threat to the diversity of pollinators and recyclers and the resulting ecosystem services.”
study Published in the journal The science of the total environment.
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Siffreya Pedersen et al. The broad ecological threat of invasive hornets has been revealed through a deep sequencing approach. The science of the total environmentPublished online on March 4th, 2025. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178978
Source: www.sci.news
