Asian predatory wasp
Encyclopedia
The Asian predatory wasp (Vespa velutina) is a species of hornet
Hornet
Hornets are the largest eusocial wasps; some species can reach up to in length. The true hornets make up the genus Vespa and are distinguished from other vespines by the width of the vertex , which is proportionally larger in Vespa and by the anteriorly rounded gasters .- Life cycle :In...

 which preys on bees, grows up to about 2.5 cm long, native to China, with characteristic yellow legs. Hornets build nests, with several thousand individuals associated with one nest. All hornets have stings with which they kill their prey and defend their nests.

It has become an invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....

 in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 where it is believed to have arrived in boxes of pottery from China in 2004. Since then the wasp has been preying on honeybees. Humans have been attacked after disturbing hornets, which are not aggressive but "charges in a group as soon as it feels its nest is threatened".. There have been reports of people hospitalised in France after suffering anaphylactic shock as a result of multiple stings. Due to their bigger size, the hornet's sting is nastier than that of a bee.

By 2009 it was thought there were several thousand nests in the area of Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...

 (capital of the Aquitaine
Aquitaine
Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...

 region) and surrounding départements.

The wasp has spread to northern Spain, as confirmed by the Beekeepers Association of the Basque Country (Gipuzkoako Erlezainen Elkartea) and the Neiker etimology institute in Irún, after breeding colonies were found.
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