Giant Asian Hornet Invasion In Europe Started With A Single Queen Wasp, Says Study

Asian hornets are known for their fearless and extremely aggressive behaviour. A single Asian hornet can kill 40 bees per minute by using its large mandibles to decapitate them. They are the largest hornet species in the world, native to Asian countries such as South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. But in 2004, the stingers made their debut appearance in Europe. Now, in a surprising discovery, a study has revealed that their widespread infestation in Europe was likely the result of just one wasp making the jump from China to France.

The research detailing the study has been published in Journal of Hymenoptera.

It is based on the genetic analysis of the Asian hornets.

"Our research has revealed the remarkable potential for population expansion of eusocial insects in invaded areas, even when original genetic diversity is extremely low," University College Cork ecologist Simon Harrison is quoted as saying about the research by Science Alert.

The team of zoologists from the Irish university analysed the genes from the first recorded arrival of Asian hornet in April 2021 in Dublin. It was then compared with all the other genes of these wasps found across all the Europe. The researchers found that the genes passed on along the female line.

"Earlier work had demonstrated that Asian hornets in Europe apparently shared the same genetic lineage, based on studies of a single gene. We took this a step further and looked at two additional genes which would be more sensitive in detecting variation within the invasive population," said Eileen Dillane, who was part of the study team.

"Our research has revealed the remarkable potential for population expansion of eusocial insects in invaded areas, even when original genetic diversity is extremely low," said Dr Simon Harrison, who was also part of the research team.