Vespa soror
{{Short description|Species of hornet}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Vespa soror - Khao Yai National Park (10915841495).jpg
|genus = Vespa
|species = soror
|authority = Buysson, 1905
|synonyms = Vespa ducalis var. soror du Buysson, 1905
Vespa mandarina [sic] soror van der Vecht, 1957
}}
Vespa soror, also known as the southern giant hornet,{{cite web |title='Northern Giant Hornet' Adopted as Common Name for Vespa mandarinia |url=https://entsoc.org/news/press-releases/northern-giant-hornet-common-name-vespa-mandarinia |website=entsoc.org |publisher=Entomological Society of America |access-date=30 August 2022 |language=en}} is a species of hornet present in India, Northern Thailand, Laos, Northern Vietnam, and parts of South China, including Hong Kong, Guangdong, Fujian, and Hainan Island.{{cite journal | last1=Smith-Pardo | first1=Allan H | last2=Carpenter | first2=James M | last3=Kimsey | first3=Lynn | editor-last=Hines | editor-first=Heather | title=The Diversity of Hornets in the Genus Vespa (Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Vespinae), Their Importance and Interceptions in the United States | journal=Insect Systematics and Diversity | publisher=Oxford University Press (OUP) | volume=4 | issue=3 | date=2020-05-01 | issn=2399-3421 | doi=10.1093/isd/ixaa006 | url=https://zenodo.org/record/3826921 }}
V. soror is one of the largest hornets, though smaller than the Asian giant hornet (V. mandarinia). The body lengths of the workers range from 26–35 mm, and those of queens range from 39–46 mm. Their nests are typically subterranean and found in forested areas.
They are aggressive predators and have been observed to attack the nests of honeybees, wasps, and smaller hornet species. They also prey on mantids, dragonflies, butterflies, grasshoppers, and small vertebrates such as geckos.{{cite journal|last=Lee|first=John X. Q.|date=April 2009|title=A note on Vespa soror (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in Hong Kong|url=http://hkentsoc.org/bulletin/HKEB1(1)_Vespa_soror_Lee.pdf|url-status=live|journal=Hong Kong Entomological Bulletin|volume=1|issue=1|pages=18–22|issn=2079-178X|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180824205515/http://hkentsoc.org/bulletin/HKEB1(1)_Vespa_soror_Lee.pdf|archive-date=August 24, 2018}}
Predation on honeybees
V. soror frequently attack bee colonies in groups, landing at and chewing on entrances, mass slaughtering adult defenders, and carrying away the carcasses and brood, which can destroy a colony. They exhibit behavior of rubbing their gasters on the hive and nearby vegetation during predation, and this may be a recruitment signal to attract other V. soror workers to attack.{{cite journal | last1=Mattila | first1=Heather R | last2=Shimano | first2=Satoshi | last3=Otis | first3=Gard W | last4=Nguyen | first4=Lien T P | last5=Maul | first5=Erica R | last6=Billen | first6=Johan | editor-last=Shields | editor-first=Vonnie | title=Linking the Morphology of Sternal Glands to Rubbing Behavior by Vespa soror (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) Workers During Recruitment for Group Predation | journal=Annals of the Entomological Society of America | publisher=Oxford University Press (OUP) | date=2021-11-18 | volume=115 | issue=2 | pages=202–216 | issn=0013-8746 | doi=10.1093/aesa/saab048 | doi-access=free | pmid=35295920 | pmc=8921610 }} A defensive technique of Apis cerana bees that has been found to be widespread in Vietnam and reported in China, Thailand, Bhutan, and Nepal is to attach spots of animal faeces of about 2mm diameter around the entrance to hives. This is the first time that honeybees have been reported to use tools, or non-plant substances, though both of these have been reported for other related bees (e.g.,{{cite journal | last1=Alem | first1=Sylvain | last2=Perry | first2=Clint J. | last3=Zhu | first3=Xingfu | last4=Loukola | first4=Olli J. | last5=Ingraham | first5=Thomas | last6=Søvik | first6=Eirik | last7=Chittka | first7=Lars | editor-last=Louis | editor-first=Matthieu | title=Associative Mechanisms Allow for Social Learning and Cultural Transmission of String Pulling in an Insect | journal=PLOS Biology | publisher=Public Library of Science (PLoS) | volume=14 | issue=10 | date=2016-10-04 | issn=1545-7885 | doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.1002564 | page=e1002564| pmid=27701411 | pmc=5049772 | doi-access=free }}{{cite journal | last1=Basari | first1=Norasmah | last2=Ramli | first2=Sarah | last3=Mohd Khairi | first3=Nur | title=Food Reward and Distance Influence the Foraging Pattern of Stingless Bee, Heterotrigona itama | journal=Insects | publisher=MDPI AG | volume=9 | issue=4 | date=2018-10-11 | issn=2075-4450 | doi=10.3390/insects9040138 | page=138| pmid=30314344 | pmc=6315735 | doi-access=free }}{{cite book|last=Jalil|first=A.H.|year=2014|title=Beescape for Meliponines: Conservation of Indo-Malayan Stingless Bees|publisher=Partridge Singapore |isbn=978-1482823615}}). The bees only spotted their hives after visits from predatory hornets. Hornets were observed to spend less than half the time at nest entrances if they were spotted, and 94 % less time trying to chew their way in. The reason for the effectiveness is not known.{{Cite news |title=Honey bees use animal poo to repel giant hornet attacks |last=Damian |first=Carrington |newspaper=The Guardian |date=9 December 2020 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/09/honey-bees-use-animal-poo-to-repel-giant-hornet-attacks}}
{{cite journal
| last1=Mattila
| first1=Heather R.
| last2=Otis
| first2=Gard W.
| last3=Nguyen
| first3=Lien T. P.
| last4=Pham
| first4=Hanh D.
| last5=Knight
| first5=Olivia M.
| last6=Phan
| first6=Ngoc T.
| editor-last=Blenau
| editor-first=Wolfgang
| title=Honey bees (Apis cerana) use animal feces as a tool to defend colonies against group attack by giant hornets (Vespa soror)
| journal=PLOS One
| publisher=Public Library of Science (PLoS)
| volume=15
| issue=12
| date=2020-12-09
| issn=1932-6203
| doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0242668
| page=e0242668
| pmid=33296376
| doi-access=free
| pmc=7725375
| bibcode=2020PLoSO..1542668M
}}
Distribution
=Introduced=
V. soror is not believed to have any established introduced populations - including in North America,{{GBIF|id=1311503|taxon=Vespa soror}} where congener V. mandarinia is introduced. However one queen was found at Vancouver Harbor, British Columbia, Canada in May 2019. This is believed to be associated with the port and not a wider population in North America.
In 2022-2023, researchers found four Vespa soror workers in El Campo, northern Spain. Spain thus became the second area invaded by Vespa soror.{{Cite journal |last=Omar |first=Sánchez |date=9 Nov 2024 |title=Early Alarm on the First Occurrence of the Southern Giant Hornet Vespa soror du Buysson, 1905 (Vespidae) in Europe |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.70502?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2-PShcP-kuwR11ra9VToEwJtkcOMwfFB6gp0_9T7r3rI2nVjpS3VTLRbM_aem_78AYOZzYjGmnfAPNszMY8Q |journal=Ecology and Evolution |volume=14 |issue=11|doi=10.1002/ece3.70502 |pmc=11549532 }} There is currently no further information to prove that Vespa soror has established colonies here
References
{{Reflist|refs=
{{cite web
| author=University of Guelph
| title=Honey bees fend off giant hornets with animal dung
| website=Phys.org
| date=2020-12-09
| url=http://phys.org/news/2020-12-honey-bees-animal-feces-deter.html
| access-date=2020-12-10
}}
{{cite AV media|url=http://www.tvw.org/watch/?eventID=2020121132|time=00:12:55|time-caption=Starts at|title=Nest Zero|publisher=TVW, Washington States' Public Affairs Network|last=Westendorp|first=Paul van}}
{{cite web|url=http://www.oahn.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/20200115125951886.pdf|title=From the Province|last1=Kozak|first1=Paul|last2=Otis|first2=Gard|website=Ontario Animal Health Network}}
{{cite web | title=Vespa soror | website=iNaturalist | date=2014-02-11 | url=http://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/342686-Vespa-soror | language=en | access-date=2020-12-26}}
{{cite web|url=http://capabees.com/shared/2019_20-CAPA-AGM-Proceedings_Ottawa.pdf|title=Proceedings 2019/20|publisher=Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists|date=2020-01-21|location=Hilton Garden Inn, Ottawa, Ontario}}
{{cite web|url=http://apiaryinspectors.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/aia-newsletter_may-june-2020.pdf|title=May-June 2020|publisher=Apiary Inspectors of America|last=Potter|first=Tammy Horn|editor-last=Reed|editor-first=Mary}}
}}
See also
External links
- {{Commons category-inline|Vespa soror|Vespa soror}}
- {{Wikispecies-inline|Vespa soror|Vespa soror}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q3556348}}
Category:Taxa named by Robert du Buysson
Category:Insects described in 1905
{{vespidae-stub}}