Professor Lelo: Arrival of Asian hornet expected in BiH as well

Asian hornets, which have been causing panic among the population of Slovenia and Croatia for several months, are also expected in Bosnia and Herzegovina, reports the Bosnian news agency Patria (NAP).

Suvad Lelo, entomologist – zoologist at the Department of Biology of the Faculty of Science in Sarajevo, explained to Patria that experts predict the spread of this hornet across the whole of central and southern Europe, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, all the way to the easternmost areas of the Balkan Peninsula.

- In the last ten years, there are clearly documented data on the appearance of a third species of hornet in Europe: the Asian yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina), which is reliably known to have been accidentally transported to Bordeaux (France) in containers used for overseas trade in 2004. Since then, the species has spread rapidly through southwestern France and was soon noticed in northeastern Spain, the Netherlands and Portugal – explains Professor Lelo.

- Through complex prediction, experts Adolfo Ibañez-Justicia and Antoon J. M. Loomans, based on general climatic conditions, predict its spread in these areas – says this respected expert.

Although many media reports have presented the Asian hornet as the most dangerous venomous insect, flying at speeds of up to 60 km/h, with a stinger 6 mm long, and killing around 40 people each year, Professor Lelo says that this hornet is not an aggressive species, and that it actually poses the greatest danger to bees.

- The Asian yellow-legged hornet is not an aggressive species, but it actively defends its nest, and curious and careless walkers may get a sting that is very painful and, fortunately, harmless except for allergic individuals, or in the case of a larger number of stings near peripheral blood vessels or nerves – explains Professor Lelo.

Europe is natively inhabited by two species of hornets: the European hornet (Vespa crabro) and the Oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis), of which the first species is ubiquitous and common in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, the Asian hornet has never been observed in our country before.

In Italy as well, several newspaper articles and videos have been presented of very large hornets that obviously also belong to an Asian species: the Asian giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia (whose workers are 3.5-4.0 cm, and the queen up to 5.5 cm), which are twice the size of the usual hornets in the region.

- The significantly larger Asian giant hornet can cause serious problems for people it stings. Both species are prone to very aggressive behavior towards bees, so they can cause serious economic damage in beekeeping – says Lelo, writes Patria.