To understand why the bumblebee (the ink-breasted wasp) originating in China invaded all of Europe after arriving in France, we first need to figure out how a species is defined as invasive alien species. If the concept of ecosystem is too large, then the word biological chain should be easier for everyone to understand.
We know that all members of ecosystems made up of multiple biological chains in each region have experienced at least centuries, if not thousands, of years of exclusion, competition and adaptation, including interdependence. This is why we often say that every member of the ecological chain and ecosystem is more like a mutually restrictive link relationship.
In fact, when a stable ecosystem suddenly has one more alien species, then both this species and the original ecosystem will face challenges, and there are at least 3 possible outcomes:
The first: Because there is no species in the new environment that can constrain or compete with the alien organism, it not only adapts to the local ecological environment, but also leads to a sharp decrease or even extinction of other organisms in this environment. Then, while this alien species has broken the biodiversity in the ecosystem, it has further led to the destruction of the already stable ecological environment in the local area and the classification of invasive alien species.
The second type: alien species that come to the new environment are likely to kill themselves in a short period of time because they are difficult to adapt to the local environment and climate, or because they do not have a stronger viability than the local competing species. Then, their unexpected arrival has not caused a significant impact on the local ecological environment, which is equivalent to just a temporary passerby.
Third: After entering the ecosystem of the new area, alien species not only find their place in one of the food chains, but other species and that species eventually stabilize after a period of evolution. Of course, such a situation would not characterize the species as invasive alien species.
The ink-breasted wasp is four times larger than the local bee:
The ink-breasted wasp can generally reach a length of about 20 mm, if this number makes you feel why the ink-breasted wasp is too large, then we can compare it with the local bees in many European countries. From the actual measurement data, the bees in the invasion areas of the ink-breasted wasp are relatively small, for example, the bees that grow naturally in countries such as Britain and France are about a quarter of the size of the ink-breasted wasps.
To put it simply, although the ink-breasted wasp is an exotic species, originally they need to adapt to the local climate and environment, and as a local bee species that has lived in Europe for many years, it is reasonable to have a more innate advantage in this competition. However, who calls themselves not as big as the foreign bees, so as long as it is the invasion of the ink-breasted wasp, the bees there will be infested, which is why the local honey production will also decline.
The ink-breasted wasp is more aggressive than the local bees:
The body of the ink-breasted wasp contains very complex toxin components, not to mention its content is not high, but its toxicity is very strong. In addition, the ink-breasted wasp itself is very aggressive, if a person is inherently allergic, then the ink-breasted wasp only needs to sting itself may lead to its direct death. Imagine that such tiny bees are so lethal in front of humans, not to mention other bees that are several times smaller than the ink-breasted wasps.
In fact, when predatory ink-breasted wasps attack local bees, they will directly tear those local bees apart. Originally, the local people in France also wanted to take some measures to attack the sleeping ink-breasted wasps, for example, to have all the worker bees attack an intruder together, which could make the ink-breasted wasps trapped in it and could not move, die because they could not stand the heat (imitating Asia).
But in fact, none of the invaded places have successfully implemented this defense against the ink-breasted wasp. Moreover, some ink-breasted wasps can even cause tens of thousands of bees to die in a short period of time in a few hours, which directly leads to a large reduction in local honey production.
Ecosystems that are invaded always have similarities:
In fact, whether it is an invasive organism or an ecosystem in an invaded area, they all have more similarities between them. For example, species that can become invasive organisms tend to have a rapid proliferation capacity, while those that are invaded ecosystems tend to have particularly adequate resources, especially readily available resources that can be used by invasive organisms.
At the same time, a place can be invaded by an alien species, often the local lack of natural control mechanisms, and the frequency of human entry in the area is relatively high. To put it simply, if the resources included in an ecosystem are inherently fluctuating, it is difficult for invasive organisms to take root in that environment. Especially when certain resources in the environment rise or fall sharply, they become more susceptible to invasion by alien species.
In the figure below, the spread points that the ink-breasted wasp has established in Europe are more intuitively shown, and the difference between green and yellow is only the degree of influence. In fact, the introduction of the wasp into Europe began in 2004, accidentally introduced into France, and scientists estimate that its rate of transmission is maintained at about 60 to 80 kilometers per year.
In the time that followed, Spain was invaded by the species in 2010, Belgium and Portugal were invaded by the species in both 2011, Italy and Germany were invaded by the ink-breasted wasp in 2012 and 2014, respectively, and the ecosystem in the UK began to be invaded by the alien species of the black-breasted wasp in 2016. On the one hand, the invasive ink-breasted wasps destroyed the local ecosystem, and on the other hand, they also caused a serious contraction in local honey production.
The impact of the ink-breasted wasp on the ecosystems of many European countries can also be illustrated by the United Kingdom. Because some of the local bee populations in the UK are relatively small, when the ink-breasted wasp invaded the local area in 2016, these tiny bees suffered a devastating blow. If the impact of the ink-breasted wasp on the UK is estimated, it is equivalent to losing around £7.6 million a year to the bee.
Of course, since the ink-breasted wasp has brought a lot of influence to many places in Europe, there will naturally be many people who will find ways to eliminate them. For example, the ink-breasted wasps are destroyed by baiting them by baiting them or destroying their hives, but how can such a method completely eradicate them? A special research team has estimated the eradication of the ink-breasted wasp, and from the data point of view, if the ink-breasted wasp is to be eliminated in France, it will cost about 10.5 million pounds per year.
Moreover, the cost data of eliminating invasive bees will further expand with the spread rate of ink-breasted wasps. However, although destroying the nest of the ink-breasted wasp can effectively resist their invasion, this one action can not prevent the invasion from being invaded again by the ink-breasted wasp. Therefore, when dealing with harmful invasive organisms such as the black-breasted wasp, it is not only necessary for locals to take effective measures, but also for scientists to have more research on the ink-breasted wasp, so as to fundamentally solve the threat posed by the invasion of this species to the local ecosystem and biodiversity.
I don't know how many people have heard of the terms "Asian bumblebee" and "Chinese bumblebee", but neither of these names is actually the most correct name for the species, in fact, it is a kind of black-breasted wasp (or black-breasted wasp) from China. Of course, the Western media does not understand what this bee originally grew in China is, only that it is a kind of bee from Asia and China, which is why the ink-breasted wasp is called the Chinese hornet and the Asian hornet.
In our daily lives, there is generally little mention of this wasp arthropod of the wasp family, after all, it does not appear frequently in densely populated urban areas. Moreover, the ink-breasted wasp usually eats smaller pests such as mosquitoes and flies, which is also beneficial for the growth of agricultural and forestry products.
We can also see from the phenomenon that the ink-breasted wasp has become an invasive organism that many things in this world are multi-faceted. Although the ink-breasted wasp is toxic and may bring serious consequences to the people who are injured by it, the probability of such an accident is not high, but it can also effectively help us get rid of the pests that are often encountered in the growth of crops and plants, and overall, it is also a valuable biological species for us. However, when it accidentally appears in other ecosystems, it will not only not bring any help to the local area, but will have an impact on the survival of the organisms in the invaded area.