During the last months we received some records about insects misidentified that were confused with Vespa velutina. In Italy, there are 23 species of social wasps and a wide variety of other insects species. Often their colours and fling behaviours could trick an unexperienced observer. One of the most common case of misidentification is linked to Megascolia maculata flavifrons (Fabricius, 1775) (photo).

Più di 200 individui di Vespa velutina sono stati ormai catturati in Liguria, in particolare nelle località di Olivetta San Michele, Sanremo, Ventimiglia, Dolcedo e Bordighera, mentre alcuni nidi primari sono stati individuati e rimossi a Calvo (Ventimiglia), Imperia e Sanremo. Nei focolai d’espansione segnalati in passato, in particolare nell’area di 8 Km2 di La Spezia, anche quest’anno il Progetto LIFE STOPVESPA ha attivato una rete di trappolaggio intensivo

During a three days meeting, from the 11th to the 13th of April, different experiences about the management of Invasive Alien Species carried out both in Italy and Europe will be compared. An in-depth analysis about national and international reference legislations (D.L. 230/2017; Reg EU 1143/2014) will also be carried out. The LIFE U-SAVEREDS project “Grey squirrel management and conservation of red squirrel in Umbria” will offer this occasion, by organising a final event in Perugia

As the first warm days arrive in spring, founder queens of Vespa velutina emerge from hibernation and starts flying and looking for an optimal nesting site. In this season, the hornets are particularly attracted by nectar and other sugars’ sources. The period between March and May is thus the best time to effectively monitor Vespa velutina. This activity aims mainly to detect the presence/absence of the hornet and discover new invaded areas. The monitoring can be performed using specific traps ...