Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea

National Institute of Ecology (국립생태원)
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Social Wasp Diversity and Wasp Nest Removal Trends on Ulleungdo Island, South Korea

  • Jaehee Kim (Department of Applied Biology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Il-Kwon Kim (Division of Forest Biodiversity, Korea National Arboretum) ;
  • Ohseok Kwon (Department of Plant Medicine, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Moon Bo Choi (Graduate School of Plant Protection and Quarantine, Kyungpook National University)
  • Received : 2023.09.01
  • Accepted : 2023.10.09
  • Published : 2023.11.01
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Abstract

This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive survey of social wasp diversity and its impacts on remote Ulleungdo Island, South Korea. A total of 12 wasp traps were placed across the island, and specimens were collected monthly from May to October. Additional collection was conducted by thoroughly inspecting the areas surrounding the traps. The traps yielded a total of 5,068 individuals, representing two genera and two species. A total of 3,961 Vespa simillima simillima Smith individuals (78.2%) were collected, and 1,107 individuals (21.8%) were identified as Vespula flaviceps flaviceps Smith. Additionally, five individuals of Polistes snelleni de Saussure were collected through sweeping, bringing the total to 5,132 individuals of three genera and three species. It is worth noting that our findings indicate potential misidentifications in the species list of Vespidae found in the literature. Emergency services call centers reported the removal of 60 social wasp nests on Ulleungdo Island between 2018 and 2022, with the highest number of reports occurring from July to September, accounting for 87% of all cases. Dodong-ri and Jeodong-ri, with the highest populations, reported the most incidents, although fortunately, there have been no recent injuries. Past incidents involving the destruction of dried squid products by Vespula species have resulted in significant economic losses, underscoring the need for preventative measures. Furthermore, ongoing surveillance of hornet invasions is essential to safeguard the Jangwon bees being reared on Ulleungdo Island.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Technology (IPET) in Food, Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries through the Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Convergence Technologies Program for Educating Creative Global Leaders (or Project), funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) (grant no. 321001-03). Additionally, this study was supported by grants from the Korea National Arboretum's Scientific Research program (KNA1-1-25, 19-1). We would like to thank Mr. CH Ma for his invaluable assistance in collecting wasps on Ulleungdo. We also extend our gratitude to Ulleungdo Rescuer JW Kim for providing essential species information on wasp nest removals on Ulleungdo Island.

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