The Govern has captured more than 40 specimens of the Asian wasp in Mallorca during the campaign to control this invasive species.
In a press release, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Environment has reported that, through the Species Protection Service of the General Directorate of Natural Environment and Forest Management, it has carried out the campaign to control the Asian wasp (Vespa velutina) in Mallorca during the past months of March, April, and May. This campaign was funded by the Next Generation EU funds.
The main objective of the campaign was to capture queens before they could build nests and thus interrupt the natural cycle of the wasp. The tasks, carried out by the Consortium for the Recovery of Wildlife in the Balearic Islands (Cofib), involved the installation and regular inspection of 1,084 traps in areas where nests were found last year and in other areas where the species was expected to spread as a preventive measure.
As a result of this massive trapping effort, 44 specimens of the Asian wasp have been captured, preventing the formation of a large number of nests this coming summer. All captures have occurred in the southwest sector of Mallorca, in the municipalities of Palma, Calvià, Andratx, Esporles, Bunyola, Puigpunyent, Estellencs, and Banyalbufar.
During the campaign, a specimen of the Oriental wasp (Vespa orientalis) was also captured near Binibona, in the municipality of Selva. This species was recently included in the Spanish Catalog of Exotic Invasive Species and represents the first confirmed sighting in the Balearic Islands, although a specimen was observed last year near the port of Palma but could not be captured.
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Environment, Joan Simonet, has called for «the collaboration of the population to detect the presence of the Asian wasp and Oriental wasp.» «In case of observing these species, they can be reported to the Species Protection Service or to Cofib, who will initiate the protocol for locating and eliminating nests to prevent their spread,» Simonet explained.
The Asian wasp, which arrived in Mallorca in 2015, spread rapidly between 2015 and 2018, with 31 nests located and removed. After two years of no activity from the species and being declared eradicated in the Balearic Islands, a new nest was detected in 2021 in the Son Ramonell urbanization in Marratxí. Genetic analysis concluded that it was a new introduction. After two years without its presence, the species reappeared in 2024, when a total of 21 nests were detected and removed.
«Both the Asian and Oriental wasps are classified as exotic invasive species and pose a threat to native biodiversity, especially to pollinating insects, affecting beekeeping and agricultural production,» Simonet recalled.
The monitoring and surveillance program for the species is possible thanks to the involvement and commitment of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Environment, through the Species Protection Service and the Consortium for the Recovery of Wildlife in the Balearic Islands (Cofib), with technical advice from the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB).
The Govern has published an infographic designed to help identify invasive wasp species and avoid confusion with native ones. This infographic can be downloaded from the Species Protection Service website.
Observations can be reported through the following channels: WhatsApp (606875244), email (especies@dgmedinatural.caib.es), and the Cofib Green Line-Invasive Species and Invasapp applications.
FUENTE