Social wasp (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) beer trapping in Finland 2008-2012: a German surprise
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33338/ef.8983Abstract
Beer trapping has been carried out annually in the summer in south western Finland (Turku) from 2008 to 2012 inclusive. In 2012, an additional trapping programme was conducted in southern (Helsinki), central (Kuopio) and northern (Kevo) Finland, which also included another trapping location in the south western (Turku) region. The traps were always presented for seven days in each location. While the median wasp Dolichovespula media (Retzius, 1783) was present in all locations, the common wasp Vespula vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 was found in five out of six locations (20 traps per site). The Kevo individual represents the northernmost record for the median wasp species. The German wasp Vespula germanica (Fabricius, 1793) was surprisingly common in south western and southern Finland. Vespula germanica has a short history of occurrence in Finland and seems to have shifted its range northwards, possibly due to climate change. Some common species of the genus Dolichovespula Rohwer, 1916 were likely underrepresented, because they are not very attracted by beer.
