Increase trend of social hymenoptera (wasps and honeybees) in urban areas, inferred from moving‐out case by 119 rescue services in Seoul of South Korea

Abstract

The number of social hymenoptera have decreased due to accelerated urbanization in Seoul, Korea, during the 1970s–1990s. However, recent changes in environmental conditions have brought distinct re‐growth of their colonies. In this study, we analyzed the re‐colonization trend of social hymenoptera in Seoul with moving‐out reports submitted to 119 rescue services from 2000 to 2009. A total of 14 253 social hymenoptera findings and treatment cases were reported during that time, and the reported numbers increased continuously every year. Among them, 87% of the cases were related to social wasps and 13% were for honeybees. Social wasps peaked from July to September, when the colonies matured, whereas honeybees peaked from April to July when colonies divided. As observed by geographical information system (GIS), moving‐out cases formed hotspots in low‐story buildings around green areas such as nearby forests or city green parks in Eunpyeong‐gu and Gwanak‐gu in Seoul. Among the social wasps, the most frequent species that caused a nuisance and direct stinging was Polistes rothneyi koreanus, the majority of which nested under eaves (63%). Among the honeybees, Apis mellifera was a nuisance while attaching to buildings and walls in the city (60%) during hive splitting. We present herein the situation of the return of social hymenoptera to Seoul and discuss the possible reasons for the recent increase in social wasps in urban areas, including enlarging the green space in urban areas and stable nesting places, which benefited colony development due to the relatively higher urban temperature and the few natural predators and parasitoids.

Spread of the yellow‐legged hornet Vespa velutina nigrithorax du Buysson (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) across Northern Spain

“…In fact, V. velutina has become the most abundant Vespa species in Busan region (South Korea), displacing other species, such as V. simillima Smith (Choi et al, 2012a). Despite being introduced in Korea in 2003 (Kim et al, 2006), the overwhelming of other native vespids and subsequent predominance in urban areas suggest that V. velutina might be very adaptable to such enviroments (Choi et al, 2012b). There are several cases among Vespidae in which native species are affected by alien ones, as a consequence of interspecific competition.…”

Quantitative analysis of research topics and public concern on V. velutina as invasive species in Asian and European countries

“…It is reasonable that media coverage should be increased in the fall given that outdoor activities are frequent in the fall, which coincides with the frequency of reported injury and poisoning by warps (Choi et al . ). However, some media reports contained information relating to V. velutina that had not been scientifically proven.…”

Effects of childhood experience with nature on tolerance of urban residents toward hornets and wild boars in Japan

“…This may reflect a general perception that urban wildlife is a nuisance [10]. Other studies have also suggested that urban residents are less tolerant toward wild animals than rural residents are, or that they switch to negative from positive when the animals cause problems [44, 45, 46]. Because the wildlife tolerance levels were measured for wildlife inhabiting nearby green spaces without any government intervention, the low tolerance levels indicate the high public dependency on government services to deal with wildlife problems.…”