Bees caught in the jaws of death: the plight of apiculturists

In one fell swoop the hornet pounces on the honey bee, catches the prey by its strong mandibles and flies off with the powerless insect.

This may sound like a scene out of a David Attenborough documentary on predatory animals but for Maltese beekeepers this has become a regular occurrence.

Too regular in fact, as honey bee colonies fall prey to the growing population of oriental hornets in Malta.

The oriental hornet, known by its scientific name Vespa orientalis, is recognised by its distinct reddish brown colour and yellow discoloration on its head and abdomen.

It is indigenous to the Maltese islands and in the 1980s had also been listed as an endangered species in the first Red Data Book for the Maltese islands.

Published in 1989, the book provided a list of flora and fauna found in Malta and Gozo, and alongside the entry for the oriental hornet, known as Bagħal taż-Żunżan in Maltese, the authors wrote: “Previously common throughout the Maltese islands, this large social wasp is now only found in a few localities in Gozo. The reason for this decline is not known but is possibly due to natural causes coupled with human persecution.”

More than three decades later, the numbers of the oriental hornet have grown uncontrollably and its spread is much wider than ‘a few localities in Gozo’.

The expansion in population is not only threatening the livelihood of apiculturists but is also becoming a public health menace.

Dylan Farrugia, 24, a researcher specialising in the Maltese honey bee, an endemic subspecies, says the oriental hornet is wreaking havoc in the apiculture industry.

He says that the population of the oriental hornet has “exploded”, finding a readily-available supply of food in dense urban areas.

“Climate change could be contributing to the increase of the hornet population but a key factor in Malta is urbanisation and the organic waste available to these insects, which has served as an additional food source, enabling them to reproduce in bigger numbers,” Farrugia says.

Scientific evidence on the oriental hornet’s spread is lacking. The general acceptance that oriental hornet populations have grown exponentially is based on circumstantial evidence provided by apiculturists, pest controllers and ordinary people.

“We have a lack of scientific data on oriental hornet colonies – where they are, what size they are and what range do the insects cover,” Farrugia says, adding this data is important to adopt the right solutions to keep this predator in check.

Farrugia forms part of the Coalition for the Conservation of the Maltese Bee, which has launched a petition to give strength to their plea for the authorities to intervene.

The coalition recently wrote to the Environment and Resources Authority highlighting the plight of apiculturists in the face of the oriental hornet’s population growth and requesting a concerted effort to counter this phenomenon.

In its response, ERA said the oriental hornet is part of the Maltese islands’ indigenous biodiversity, highlighting its important function as a natural predator of organisms that can cause harm, such as grasshoppers.

But while the authority recognised the importance of the oriental hornet in the Maltese ecosystem it also acknowledged the need to control its populations in urban areas and commercial beekeeping zones.

“The ERA is willing to assist the responsible authorities in the control of pests that are posing a threat to health and safety, and apiculture,” the authority replied.

For Farrugia, the reply is an encouraging start because it shows willingness to address the problem. However, he says the next step has to be “tangible action”.

Farrugia says apiculturists witnessed a new phenomenon this summer with hornets attacking long-established bee colonies.

“They normally attacked young bee colonies, where insects are still developing and the strength of numbers does not exist. But this summer, apiculturists saw hornets also attack established colonies, decimating bee populations and causing bees to permanently flee the colony,” he says.

This is causing harm to the beekeeping industry and the coalition is asking for intervention by the authorities to address apiculturists’ concerns.

“In summer the problem is more evident because it is the period when the hornet is most active. But when the winter months set in, and the hornets are not around, I fear the issue will drop off the radar, only to return with more intensity next year,” Farrugia says.

The oriental hornet starts appearing at around May all through to October. It has an aggressive temperament and a very painful sting.

Sting victims are urged to seek medical attention. An urticarial rash, facial swelling and difficulty in breathing, shortness of breath and wheezing can occur after a hornet attack. Some victims have also reported low blood pressure and a fast heartbeat.

In urban areas, hornets can set up nests in crevices and ventilators with people urged to contact professional pest controllers to remove these nests.

Farrugia says that better waste management by everyone in urban areas will help reduce available food sources for hornets.

A concerted national effort to control hornet populations is needed, he says, rather than a disparate effort by individuals. For apiculturists, pest control efforts cannot come too soon.

Anyone wishing to sign the online petition calling for action to control the oriental hornet’s growth can do so at change.org and searching for the petition: Nitolbu azzjoni immedjata mill-entitajiet dwar il-problema tal-Bagħal taż-Żunżan.