Insect from Crete (1 Viewer)

[Deb335077]

please help with Id, taken in Crete last week

Debbie

 

[Ficedula]

please help with Id, taken in Crete last week

Debbie

The Hymenopteran is Oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis)
Dragonfly looks like Trithemis annulata

 

[Deb335077]

The Hymenopteran is Oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis)
Dragonfly looks like Trithemis annulata

And would an Oriental Hornet be found in Crete?

 

[pdwinter]

And would an Oriental Hornet be found in Crete?

Here's the distribution map in a 2004 scientific paper

 

[Andy Adcock]

And would an Oriental Hornet be found in Crete?

The first thing I checked, from Wiki

'The Oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis) is a social insect of the family Vespidae. It can be found in Southwest Asia, Northeast Africa, the island of Madagascar (but no reports have been made of its presence on the island for many years), the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of Southern Europe.'

 

[Torchepot]

Not just Southern Europe - recorded in Gloucestershire this year and looks like it’s established itself in Jersey.


Asian hornet: Record number of queens found in Jersey Asian hornet: Record number of queens found in Jersey

 

[King Edward]

Not just Southern Europe - recorded in Gloucestershire this year and looks like it’s established itself in Jersey.


Asian hornet: Record number of queens found in Jersey Asian hornet: Record number of queens found in Jersey

Different species - that's Asian Hornet Vespa velutina, not Oriental Hornet Vespa orientalis.

 

[Deb335077]

Thank you for that help

 

[pdwinter]

Not just Southern Europe - recorded in Gloucestershire this year and looks like it’s established itself in Jersey.


Asian hornet: Record number of queens found in Jersey Asian hornet: Record number of queens found in Jersey

Different species - that's Asian Hornet Vespa velutina, not Oriental Hornet Vespa orientalis.

One record in the UK that I know of - 5/11/2018 at the Holiday Inn next to the M271 on the western edge of Southampton. If you are signed up to iRecord you can see it here - Record of Vespa orientalis .

 

[Torchepot]

Thanks guys - I had no idea there were two invasive species of hornet from Asia threatening Europe’s honey bees!

 

[creaturesnapper]

They have been established on Crete for quite a while , I have pics from 2013 and 2015 .Like our European Hornets they tend not to be aggressive , unlike the Asian Hornets.