Vespula germanica: technical infographic

Eusocial hymenoptera are a group of insects with great invasive potential due to their high dispersal capacity, high reproduction rates, generalist diets and varied ranges of habitat use. Vespula germanica has currently invaded North America (eastern United States), South America (especially Chile and Argentina), southern Australia and New Zealand. Transparent wings Compound eye Stinger. Slim waist Abdomen with yellow and black stripes. Jaws Articulated legs ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE (SOURCE INTA ARGENTINA) 1. In beekeeping: They prey on bees in flight and attack hives. 2. In fruit growing: They are strongly attracted to sugary secretions, such as those of ripe fruits, causing wounds that facilitate infection. 3. In tourism: They constitute a considerable nuisance during outdoor activities. 4. In livestock: They attack injured animals or at the time of calving as well as during milking. Nests can be underground or aerial. Each fertilized queen forms a new colony in spring. Antennae Life cycle Nests are created by queens fertilized in autumn that survived the winter. The colony declines, the old queen dies and the number of larvae decreases. Autumn is the time of year when they cause the most nuisance, actively going out to search for food, which is why their number seems to increase since they remain away from the nest for a long time. Workers are born in the nests and the colony grows rapidly. The radius of action of the workers is about 300 meters. Maximum size is reached at the end of summer. The queens are born in late autumn, as are the drones. At this moment copulation occurs. Recommendations for its control. Dead-end capture traps: These consist of bottle-type plastic traps, whose access is an inverted funnel. Before setting them up, these traps are “baited” with meat or fish inside, so the wasps enter in search of food and finally die because they cannot get out. .Bait feeders with insecticidal feeds: “Spout-type” feed feeders suspended in height are used, out of the reach of children and pets. These feedlots must contain 30 grams of bait (meat treated with insecticides, example: Fipronil 0.1%) and at a rate of 6 to 10 feedlots per hectare, depending on the population density. The ideal time to use the baiting stations is when 5 stations are placed and after an hour more than 1 wasp per baitbox is seen.