Oriental Hornet serious threat to Malaga bees

The Oriental Hornet situation getting out of control in the Malaga province, and the bees are suffering.

Sightings of the Vespa Orientalis are becoming more frequent everyday with Malaga Province locals taking to social media to post their photos and ask what this creature is. Of the 20 or so hornet varieties around the World, most of which originate in Asia, the Oriental hornet, (not to be confused with the much more dangerous Asian Hornet) is an invasive species particularly problematic in the Malaga region.

The Oriental Hornet is a large wasp about 2.5 to 3.5 cm long with a reddish, brownish colour and two thick yellow stripes around its sterna. While its sting is nasty, it is not considered as much of a threat to humans as its larger cousin, the Asian Hornet, but it is to bees.

Oriental hornets a threat to bees, especially in Malaga

During the Summer, they are there are a lot more of them because this is when they are flying around on the look out for food for their larvae – bee meat, and thus attack hives. Once they have grown into adults, they feed on pollen and become less of a problem.

At a meeting of the Union of Farmers and Cattle herders in Seville earlier this year, Malaga apiculturists requested permission to lay traps for the Oriental Hornets, a plea which fell on deaf ears and which is why, according to the beekeepers, the problem is much worse on the South coast compared with the rest of Spain.