• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• 제15권1호
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• pp.39-45
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• 2007

Extracts of adult worker bodies of Vespa simillima in 2 % NaCl or acidified methanol were administered orally to mice for 70 days. Following this period, memory at one-day and one-month periods, and the effects on scopolamine-induced amnesia were examined using a step-through passive avoidance task. Changes in MK-801-induced disability after 8 days of training, and in memory one month after the trial were also assessed. Mice treated with the 2% NaCl extract showed significant improvement in memory in the behavioral tests one month after the trial, whereas mice receiving the extract in acidified methanol, did not differ from the controls in any trial. The results inidicate that Vespa simillima contains substances acting favorably on the cerebral functions of mammals.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• 제4권4호
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• pp.146-153
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• 2023

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.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• 제38권3호
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• pp.389-395
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• 2015

The composition of the Martes flavigula diet has been extensively studied, but little is known about its insect component. This study characterized the insect diet and insect nest materials in the feces of M. flavigula. A total of 952 fecal samples were collected in Jirisan National Park from January 2009 to November 2011, and 1379 species or taxonomic groups were identified. M. flavigula fed on insects (8.7%) and bee wax (5.0%), which comprised 2.9% and 4.4% of the dry weight of M. flavigula feces, respectively. A total of 12 insect species belonging to 8 families in 3 orders were identified. The most frequently found insects were Hymenoptera (frequency of occurrence, FO, 89.1), including Vespa simillima simillima (FO, 37.3) and Vespula koreensis koreensis (FO, 20.0). The Vespidae constituted the majority of the insect diet in autumn when the diversity of marten's prey was strongly reduced, probably because the numbers of social insects were sufficient for M. flavigula. In addition, the data suggest that M. flavigula attacks the nests of social wasps in late autumn when males do not have a venomous sting and new queens are less aggressive than workers. Bee wax appeared in all seasons and the highest rate was from spring to early summer. However, the remains of honeybees were not found in feces; thus, M. flavigula presumably eats honey but not honeybees.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• 제2권2호
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• pp.101-107
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• 2021

The objective of this study was to analyze social wasps' urban distribution tendency based on 10 species found in two metropolitan cities (Busan and Daegu) of South Korea. There 10 species included six species (Vespa mandarinia, V. ducalis, V. crabro flavofasciata, Vespula koreensis koreensis, Parapolybia indica, and Polistes snelleni) of forest dwellers that inhabited urban main forests and satellite forests, two species (V. simillima simillima and V. analis parallela) of facultative dwellers that nested at diverse sites of urban areas with greater preference for urban forest, and two species (V. velutina nigrithorax and P. rothneyi koreanus) of urban dwellers that nested at almost all sites, including urban and forest areas. These urban dwellers were found to adapt well to an urban environment based on their far higher rate of urban nesting compared to facultative dwellers. When distribution tendencies of facultative dwellers and urban dwellers in Busan and Daegu were compared, a regular distribution was mostly observed in Busan with a dense forest network. For Daegu that lacked forest connectivity, the greatest distribution of species was found in the nearby urban forest. For Daegu, a city further away from forests, urban dwellers occurred far beyond forest sites compared to Busan with a dense forest network.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• 제38권3호
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• pp.367-374
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• 2015

The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence and foraging of social and other wasps and bees in Jirisan National Park (JNP, South Korea), in particular in an apiary. Sixty one traps were placed in the southwestern part of JNP to identify social wasps from July to September 2014, and the damage to the apiary caused by wasps or bees was observed once a month from May to December 2014 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. In total, 10 species of Vespidae were collected by trapping. Vespa crabro was the most abundant (245 individuals, 28.3%), followed by Vespa velutina (162 individuals, 18.7%). In the apiary, however, V. velutina was the most frequent species. V. velutina visited a maximum of 167 times a day in September, which corresponded to one visit in 2.5 min. Accordingly, these data are in line with the most serious impact of V. velutina on the apiaries in South Korea. V. simillima was the second most frequent species; both Vespa species hawked honeybees. Even though the occurrence of V. mandarinia was low, this species caused serious damage by mass slaughter of honeybees. The occurrence of V. crabro, V. analis and V. ducalis was quite low and their impact on honeybees was negligible. There have been few reports of V. dybowskii foraging for honeybees, but they are considered to be a new pest because their impact on apiaries is considerable. Most Vespa species attacked the apiary from June to October, with a maximum in September. However, V. velutina visited until November to early December. Vespula species are not more serious pests than Vespa species, but many adults were observed stealing honey from beehives. Polistes, Orancistrocerus, and Bombus species had no impact on honeybee colonies in the apiary.

• 한국양봉학회지
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• 제34권1호
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• pp.7-13
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• 2019

Vespid wasps (Vespa spp.) are the most noxious pests on apiculture, resulting in significant economic losses. Early monitoring and management are the first step to prevent the damages from vespid wasps. In this study, the acoustic signals from wasps and honey bees were measured by a microphone with a preamplifier and an analog-digital converter. In frequency analysis of the acoustic signals from wasps and honey bees, there were differences between the two species. While the fundamental frequency of the wasps was analyzed to be about 100 Hz with the strong harmonic frequencies, that of the honey bees was about 200~250 Hz. The 2nd harmonic signals from wasp were strongest while the fundamental ones from honey bees were. These different sound features generated by wasps or honey bees might be applied to develop the early monitoring system of the incursion of wasps to the apiary.