Oriental hornet

Oriental hornet
on Cyprus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Vespidae
Genus: Vespa
Species:
V. orientalis
Binomial name
Vespa orientalis
Linnaeus, 1771
Distribution of Vespa orientalis[2][3][4]

The Oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis) is a social insect species 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.[2] Oriental hornets have also been found in a few isolated locations such as Mexico and Chile due to human introduction.[5][6] The Oriental hornet lives in seasonal colonies consisting of caste system dominated by a queen.[2] The hornet builds its nests underground and communicates using sound vibrations.[7] The hornet has a yellow stripe on its cuticle (exoskeleton), which can absorb sunlight to generate a small electrical potential, and this might help supply energy for digging.[8] The adult hornet eats nectar and fruits and scavenges for insects and animal proteins to feed to its young.[9] Because they are scavengers, the hornets may also serve as a transmitter of disease following consumption of infected plants.[10] The hornets are a primary pest to honey bees, attacking bee colonies to obtain honey and animal proteins.[11] The sting of an Oriental hornet can be quite painful to humans and some humans are allergic to stings.[10]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference IUCN was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference USAPHC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kosmeier was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Archer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dvorak was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Ríos, Mauro; Barrera, Roberto; Contreras, José (2020) Primer reporte del género Vespa Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Vespinae) en Chile. Revista Chilena de Entomología 46:237-242. 10.35249/rche.46.2.20.14.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ishay was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Plotkin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bacandritsos was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ a b Abdel-Ghany GM, Zalat SM, Abo-Ghalia AH, Semida FM (January 2009). "VARIATION OF VENOM AND THORACIC MUSCLE PROTEINS OF VESPA ORIENTALIS POPULATIONS IN RELATION TO GEOGRAPHICAL ISOLATION IN SOUTHERN SINAI PROTECTORATES, EGYPT" (PDF). Egyptian Journal of Natural Toxins. 6 (1): 16–32. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Glaiim was invoked but never defined (see the help page).