Asian hornet caused 6 million in damage in Portugal

Published Dec 13, 2022

Tridge summary

The Asian wasp, an invasive species that entered Portugal 11 years ago, has caused around 6 million euros in losses for beekeepers in the Alto Minho region, according to the president of the Apicultural Association of Entre Minho e Lima (APIMIL), Alberto Dias. The wasp has resulted in a loss of over half a million euros for beekeepers annually, leading to a decrease in honey production by an estimated 30-40%. The wasp, which needs to consume between 700 grams and a kilogram of bees daily, has been responsible for a third of the losses of bee hives. The wasp first appeared in the district of Viana do Castelo in 2011, but the situation worsened towards the end of the same year.

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Original content

Since it entered Portugal 11 years ago, the Asian wasp has already caused a loss of around 6 million euros to beekeepers in the Alto Minho region, according to information from Agência Lusa. “Per year, just because of the Asian wasp, beekeepers lose more than half a million euros”, the president of the Apicultural Association of Entre Minho e Lima (APIMIL) told Lusa today. Alberto Dias added that “it is easy to do the math” to realize that, in 11 years, Alto Minho beekeepers “lost six million euros at will” due to that invasive species that, per day, needs to eat “between 700 grams and a kilogram of bees” to grow. “A third of the hives we lose are because of the wasp. This means that if I have 100 hives, I lose 20”, he explained. With a “highly carnivorous” predator in the vicinity, with a “jaw capable of gnawing through the skin of any fruit and even meat, the European bee ('Apis mellifera'), used for honey production, does not leave the hives. Natural from the tropical and ...

Source: Agrolink