Asian Hornets: measuring and modelling the new emerging threat to managed and wild pollinators

亚洲大黄蜂（Vespa velutina nigrithorax）是一种入侵性外来物种，正在欧洲迅速蔓延。这是一个重要的新兴威胁野生和管理授粉，因为它是一个贪婪的捕食昆虫。据报道，其食物的50%以上由蜜蜂、野蜂和黄蜂组成。AH生活在大型巢穴中，可生产5，000 - 20，000只个体，工蜂在蜂巢入口和花丛中捕食猎物，挑选觅食者并停止觅食活动，从而损害殖民地。AH已经对法国和意大利的蜂群造成了重大损害，在AH已经建立的地方，死亡率增加了5-80%，威胁到养蜂和蜂蜜生产的可行性。此外，它还可能对野生蜜蜂和黄蜂种群造成损害，以及它们为农作物和野花提供的授粉服务，但这些影响尚未量化。2016年9月在英国首次发现了一个AH巢，2017年发现了另一个巢，2018年9月发现了第三个巢，这表明英国即将建立。阻止或限制传播的唯一方法是尽快找到并摧毁巢穴。因此，迫切需要开发一种方法来有效地定位巢穴，以管理这种害虫。在一个开创性的试点项目（由Defra资助）中，我们通过无线电跟踪单个AH飞回它们（以前未发现的）巢穴。我们的第一个目标是测试无线电遥测的使用范围，并将其与一种新的声学监测器结合起来，对蜂箱的AH攻击发出早期预警。我们将设计一个协议，使用这些技术来降低AH入侵的速度（目标1）。我们的第二个目标是测量AH作为管理和野生传粉者的害虫的潜在影响，在三个方面：测量AH捕食蜂群的影响（目标2）;测量AH饮食中不同的传粉者物种的比例使用DNA测序（目标3）和测量AH是否破坏传粉者网络在花补丁（目标4）。工作将在法国和海峡群岛进行，这两个地区处于入侵时间轴的不同阶段。AH觅食和捕食率的数据将用于预测这些捕食者对英国管理和野生传粉者的可能影响，并估计对作物授粉的影响（目标5）使用我们的蜂群和种群动态模型，BEEHAVE和bumbleBEEHAVE。这项研究必须尽快进行：减缓英国入侵的最佳机会是在未来几年。欧盟各国政府正在寻找减缓AH传播的方法，养蜂人强烈主张需要对这项工作进行投资（见Defra，DoE Jersey和养蜂人的支持信）。据估计，英国约25万个蜂箱在蜂蜜和授粉方面的经济价值为1.5亿英镑。AH每年可能造成3000万至4500万英镑的损失，而我们的早期检测鸟巢的技术每年至少可以减少1000万至1500万英镑的AH经济影响。这将通过与政策制定者分享我们的协议和证据来实现：帮助管理入侵并增加养蜂人，机构和害虫控制人员的知识和技能。这些行动，加上提高公众意识，将增加在AH入侵前线早期发现巢穴的机会。环境影响的减少也将是显著的，因为野生蜜蜂已经受到威胁，因此这些群落的进一步减少可能会影响它们作为传粉者的至关重要的生态功能。（Osborne，泰勒，Kennedy & Chaput）及合伙人（法国研究人员，Defra，泽西岛环境部，BBKA和泽西岛养蜂人）在动物跟踪，传粉科学，分子生态学和实际AH管理方面拥有成功实现这些目标的经验。

The Asian Hornet (Vespa velutina nigrithorax) [AH] is an invasive alien species that is rapidly spreading through Europe. It is an important emerging threat to wild and managed pollinators, as it is a voracious predator of insects. Over 50% of its diet has been reported to consist of honeybees, wild bees and wasps. The AH live in large nests producing 5,000-20,000 individuals and the workers hawk for prey at bees' nest entrances, and flower patches, picking off foragers and shutting down foraging activity to the detriment of the colony. AH have caused significant damage to honeybee colonies in France and Italy with increased mortality of 5-80% where AH has established, threatening the viability of beekeeping and honey production. Of additional and immediate concern is the damage it could cause to wild bee and wasp populations, and the pollination services they provide to crops and wild flowers, but these effects have not been quantified.An AH nest was first found in UK in September 2016, another nest found in 2017, and a third found in September 2018, signalling that establishment in the UK is imminent. The only means of halting the spread, or limiting it, is to find and destroy nests as soon as possible. There is thus an urgent need to develop a method to locate nests efficiently for management of this pest. In a ground-breaking pilot project (funded by Defra) we have radio-tracked individual AH flying back to their (previously un-discovered) nests. Our first aim is to test the range of use of radiotelemetry, and combine it with a new acoustic monitor giving early warning of AH attacks at bee hives. We will design a protocol using these technologies to reduce the speed of AH invasion (Objective 1). Our second aim is to measure the potential impact of AH as a pest of managed and wild pollinators in three ways: measuring the impact of AH predating at bee colonies (Objective 2); measure the proportions of different pollinator species in the AH diet using DNA sequencing (Objective 3) and measure whether AH disrupt pollinator networks at flower patches (Objective 4). Work will be carried out in France and the Channel Islands which are at different stages of the invasion timeline. Data on AH foraging and predation rates will be used to forecast the likely impact of these predators on managed and wild pollinators in the UK, and estimate impacts on crop pollination (Objective 5) using our models of bee colony and population dynamics, BEEHAVE and bumbleBEEHAVE.It is essential that this research takes place as soon as possible: the best opportunity to slow a UK invasion is during the next few years. EU governments are looking for methods to slow the spread of AH, and beekeepers strongly advocate the need for investment in this work, (see Supporting Letters from Defra, DoE Jersey, and beekeepers). The ~250,000 honeybee hives in the UK are estimated to be worth £150 mill to the economy in honey and pollination provision. The AH could trigger losses of £30-45 mill per year, and our technology to detect nests early could reduce AH economic impact by at least £10-15 mill per year. This will be achieved by sharing our protocol and evidence with policy makers: to help manage the invasion and increase knowledge and skills amongst beekeepers, agencies and pest controllers. These actions, together with raised public awareness, will boost chances of early nest detection at the AH invasion front. The reduction in environmental impact will also be significant, because wild bees are under threat already, so that a further reduction in these communities is likely to affect their vitally important ecological function as pollinators.The assembled team of researchers at Univ. of Exeter (Osborne, Tyler, Kennedy & Chaput) and partners (French researchers, Defra, Dept of Environment Jersey, the BBKA & Jersey beekeepers) have experience in animal tracking, pollinator science, molecular ecology and practical AH management to succeed in these goals.