Hornet genomes add two new pieces to invasive puzzle

An international team of scientists led by University College London announced Friday that they had successfully sequenced the genomes of two species of hornet, the European hornet (Vespa crabro) and yellow-legged or Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) as part of a larger project on invasive wasps and their ability to adapt to new habitats.

They compared these genomes to that of the giant northern hornet (Vespa mandarinia), sequenced in 2020, and found that the hornet genes that had mutated the most rapidly were those related to communication and sense of smell. The team took samples from workers, gynes (queens who have not yet mated), male adults, and queens.

Among invertebrates, hornets tend to be superpredators, preying on everything from caterpillars to other stinging insects. In their natural ranges, they keep other insects in balance. However, when introduced to new areas, they can kill off pollinators, which has implications for humans and our crops. In recent years, the Asian hornet has reached Europe, and the giant northern hornet, also native to Asia, has reached North America.

According to study co-author Dr. Alessandro Cini, “Hornets are carried to different parts of the world accidentally by humans. All that is needed is a small number of mated queens to be transported, hidden in cargo perhaps. The genomes suggest that hornets have lots of genes involved in detecting and responding to chemical cues – these may make them especially good at adapting to hunt different types of prey in non-native regions.”

The Natural Environment Research Council provided funding for this work.

Read the full study at Nature.com.

Favreau E, Cini A, Taylor D, Câmara Ferreira F, Bentley MA, Cappa F, Cervo R, Privman E, Schneider J, Thiéry D, Mashoodh R, Wyatt CDR, Brown RL, Bodrug-Schepers A, Stralis-Pavese N, Dohm JC, Mead D, Himmelbauer H, Guigo R, Sumner S. Putting hornets on the genomic map. 21 April 2023. Scientific Reports. 13(6232). doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-31932-x.