Bees across much of Europe have not had an easy time of things in the last few decades, and that has been caused by a variety of things, including: pesticides, climate change, disease, climate change, parasites and nutrition deficiency just to name a few.
Should this new invader spread, it may well be the last straw for our bees across many areas.
Not only is it likely to compete for pollen with local bees, but the bees are also likely to carry various diseases, which while might hinder their health could kill our bees (this is often the case, as with squirrel pox, which kills the native red squirrels fast, but grey squirrels are often immune).
Initially only found in parts of Asia, it is now found around the middle east, and parts of Africa as well.
Having been found near a shipping cargo hub, it is feared that this is how it arrived. If this is true, it seems likely, that others might find their way all over the place through the same method.
The winters are mild in this location, leading to the insects surviving the winter, an advantage that more northerly European destinations have – though climate change is also seeing this advantage reducing, and an increasing number of invasive species growing out of control.
