{"id":1952,"date":"2021-08-02T10:45:30","date_gmt":"2021-08-02T08:45:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.taptrap.com\/vespa-velutina-the-eco-friendly-traps-that-work\/"},"modified":"2025-12-22T18:54:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T17:54:15","slug":"vespa-velutina-bio-traps-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.taptrap.com\/en\/vespa-velutina-bio-traps-work\/","title":{"rendered":"VESPA VELUTINA: THE ECO FRIENDLY TRAPS THAT WORK"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vespa velutina<\/a>\u00a0– also called\u00a0Asian hornet<\/strong>\u00a0– is one of the most dangerous predators for our bee population. In those areas where it is well established it represents a very serious risk to beekeeping. In Italy, it has been found in Liguria, Piedmont, Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, Lombardy and Veneto<\/p>\n

Having established itself in France in 2004, in the following years the Asian hornet decimated the bee population there and brought beekeeping to its knees. In 2013, it had already established itself throughout the French coast and into the west coast of Italy, giving the\u00a0Ligurian coast<\/strong>\u00a0the name \u2018the red zone of Italy<\/strong>\u2019.\u00a0 It is precisely in this area that the pressure of this flying pest on beehives is most overwhelming: from dawn to dusk, hundreds of Asian hornets hover in close proximity to beehives, constantly attacking and killing bees.<\/p>\n

\"{%ALT_TEXT%}\"Asian hornets flying in front of a beehive, waiting for returning bees<\/sub>\u00a0– (Photo: \u00a9 Marco Porporato for\u00a0LIFE Stop Vespa<\/strong>)<\/sub><\/em><\/p>\n

HOW TO PROTECT THE BEES FROM VESPA VELUTINA<\/h2>\n

The constant presence of Asian hornets in the apiaries is a serious threat, not only because they pray on bees but also because of the distress they cause. In fact,\u00a0the bees are so terrified<\/strong>\u00a0that they no longer fly out of their beehives and no longer lay eggs. They become weaker and weaker and, eventually, their entire families collapse. What can be done to defend the bee against this horrendous flying pest?<\/p>\n

The best defence weapon is trapping<\/strong>, a\u00a0fundamental practice<\/em>\u00a0that effectively slow down the growth and spread of the Asian hornet population. To understand this point, it is necessary to acknowledge the habit of this flying pest.<\/p>\n

A tailored trapping<\/span><\/h3>\n

For an effective use of Sfera Trap against Vespa velutina, it is necessary to\u00a0use two kind of baits<\/strong>\u00a0on it, depending on the season. While at the end of\u00a0winter<\/strong>\u00a0we must use sugary baits, in\u00a0summer<\/strong>, when the population of Asian hornets increases, we must use protein baits instead.<\/p>\n

ASIAN HORNET SPRING TRAPPING<\/h2>\n

The hibernation period for\u00a0queen Asian hornets<\/strong>\u00a0starts at the beginning of winter, when they are fertile and have already mated. They find shelter in safe cavities, such as in heaps of wood or rotten tree trunks, and in putrid or damp areas. Their hibernation period ends at the end of winter, when they leave their shelters famished and in need of sugary substances (which they find in pollens, flowers etc.) They need to recover their strength so that they can build new nests for future colonies.<\/p>\n

\"vespa-velutina-mange-fruit-m\u00fbr\"
The Asian hornet loves bittersweet flavours as these reminds it of ripe fruits – just the sugary substances they need at the end of winter<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is precisely at this time that the\u00a0bio traps need to be placed<\/strong>. By capturing a few queens of this dangerous species at the beginning of spring, we thwart the birth and development of thousands more: the colonies of Vespa velutina can contain up to 6000 individuals, and each colony can produce between 180 and 500 queens!<\/p>\n

This early\u00a0spring trapping<\/strong>\u00a0is thus preventative and very important; it is done by placing\u00a0bio-traps with sugary food baits<\/a>\u00a0in the first days of sun at the end of winter.<\/p>\n

In this way the trap becomes a perfect attractant to the queen Asian hornets and can thus contribute to the capture of the matriarch-makers of new colonies, thus preventing the birth and development of thousands of new individuals. Here you can find some advice on how to use the bio-traps.<\/p>\n

The advantages of early spring trapping<\/span><\/h3>\n

The use of\u00a0bio-traps<\/a>\u00a0is essential for the capture of this predatory insect: we must avoid the risk of trapping bees or other insect pollinators – a risk that becomes unavoidable when using chemical baits, which are non-selective and make no distinction between bees and wasps. Indeed, to date there has been no research aimed at developing a selective system that would both target Vespa velutina\u00a0and\u00a0<\/i>protect bees and useful insects.<\/p>\n

The food baits that we have successfully tried for our bio-traps, and can recommend, do not attract pollinators and other useful insects, which do not like this kind of substances. This point will be elaborated further in what follows.<\/p>\n