Description
Data Records
The data in this occurrence resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 1,210 records.
This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.
Versions
The table below shows only published versions of the resource that are publicly accessible.
How to cite
Researchers should cite this work as follows:
Herrera C, Sevilla-Callejo M, Leza M, Gallardo B (2025). Global risks posed by hornets to the provision of crop pollination (UIB, IPE-CSIC). Version 2.0. Universitat de les Illes Balears. Occurrence dataset. https://doi.org/10.15470/qmjxeq
Rights
Researchers should respect the following rights statement:
The publisher and rights holder of this work is Universitat de les Illes Balears. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC-BY-NC 4.0) License.
GBIF Registration
This resource has been registered with GBIF, and assigned the following GBIF UUID: 38f7f528-3935-4f61-baf8-c4edcc64a322. Universitat de les Illes Balears publishes this resource, and is itself registered in GBIF as a data publisher endorsed by GBIF Spain.
Keywords
Occurrence; Observation; Hornets; Vespa
Contacts
- Metadata Provider
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8302-8786
- Originator
- Metadata Provider
Geographic Coverage
Countries with occurrences
| Bounding Coordinates | South West [-33.639, -70.767], North East [39.479, 128.514] |
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Taxonomic Coverage
No Description available
| Kingdom | Animalia |
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| Phylum | Athropoda |
| Class | Insecta |
| Order | Hymenoptera |
| Family | Vespidae |
Temporal Coverage
| Start Date | 1989-01-01 |
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Project Data
Hornets pose significant risks to pollinator-dependent crop production, threatening food security and ecosystem health. This study provides a spatial evaluation of current and future exposure of pollinator-dependent crops to hornet predation, focusing on the potential impacts of their predatory behaviour on insect pollinator populations. More than half of current hornet observations globally are concentrated in areas with high pollination dependent crop production of southern Asia, central Europe, and North America, where they can cause the greatest harm. Up to 6 % of global pollinator-dependent croplands are projected to become hornet hotspots by 2070. Crops under highest exposure to hornets include soybeans in North America, apples in Europe and watermelon in Asia. Hornet expansion, facilitated by global shipping and climate change, increases pressure on insect pollinator populations, negatively affecting crop yields and quality. We emphasize the need for effective management strategies, including early detection and control measures, to mitigate these risks. This research provides critical spatial insights to inform policy decisions aimed at safeguarding pollination services essential for sustainable agriculture.
| Title | Global risks posed by hornets to the provision of crop pollination |
|---|---|
| Identifier | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.126471 |
| Funding | This work has been possible thanks to a FPI Grant from the Conselleria d'Innovació, Recerca i Turisme del Govern de les Illes Balears (FPI_014_2020), and the COLOSS Panuwan Chantawannakul Award 2023. This work has been partially sponsored by the Comunitat Autonoma de les Illes Balears through the Direcció General de Política Universitaria i Recerca with funds from the Tourist Stay Tax Law ITS 2017-006 (PRD2020/25) and grant PID2023-149487OA-I00 funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF/EU. |
The personnel involved in the project:
Sampling Methods
we carried out an extensive bibliographic review in search of occurrences present in papers published in English in Google Scholar and Web of Science. We employed keywords such as (“Vespidae” OR “Vespa” OR “hornet”) AND (“occurrence” OR “distribution” OR “native” OR “invasive”) until November 2023 to identify relevant studies. Considering that many events are not published in scientific outlets because they are chance or isolated encounters, we also performed a Google search in English. Some of these occurrences only mentioned the location where individuals were found (village, city, or region), that were georeferenced through the Google Geocoding API, which returns central geo-coordinates.
| Study Extent | Asia: Bhutan, Cambodia, China, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam; Europe: Belgium, France, Italy, Russia, Spain; North America: Canada, Mexico, United States; Oceania: Guam, New Zealand; South America: Chile. |
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Method step description:
- we carried out an extensive bibliographic review in search of occurrences present in papers published in English in Google Scholar and Web of Science. We employed keywords such as (“Vespidae” OR “Vespa” OR “hornet”) AND (“occurrence” OR “distribution” OR “native” OR “invasive”) until November 2023 to identify relevant studies. Considering that many events are not published in scientific outlets because they are chance or isolated encounters, we also performed a Google search in English. Some of these occurrences only mentioned the location where individuals were found (village, city, or region), that were georeferenced through the Google Geocoding API, which returns central geo-coordinates.
Bibliographic Citations
- Herrera, C., Leza, M., & Gallardo, B. (2025). Global risks posed by hornets to the provision of crop pollination. Journal of Environmental Management, 391, 126471. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.126471
Additional Metadata
| Acknowledgements | This work has been possible thanks to a FPI Grant from the Conselleria d'Innovació, Recerca i Turisme del Govern de les Illes Balears (FPI_014_2020), and the COLOSS Panuwan Chantawannakul Award 2023. This work has been partially sponsored by the Comunitat Autonoma de les Illes Balears through the Direcció General de Política Universitaria i Recerca with funds from the Tourist Stay Tax Law ITS 2017-006 (PRD2020/25) and grant PID2023-149487OA-I00 funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF/EU. |
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| Introduction | This study aims to provide the first spatial evaluation of the risks posed by hornets to crop sustainability worldwide. To address the complex interaction between hornet species and agricultural sustainability, we formulated the following hypothesis: (a) areas of highest hornet species richness coincide with regions where both native and introduced populations occur; (b) the potential distribution of hornet species will expand into new regions under future climate scenarios, particularly into areas currently considered less susceptible, thereby increasing invasion risk; (c) hornet distributions significantly overlap with regions that have a high concentration of pollinator-dependent crops and strong reliance on pollination services. The severity of impacts from natural hazards such as predatory hornets depend on the degree of exposure and vulnerability to these risks (Cardona et al., 2012). In this study, exposure is quantified by the current occurrence of hornets and the modelled environmental suitability for hornets, under a scenario where they expand into the most accessible and suitable areas of their ecological niche. Vulnerability is based on the level of pollinator-dependent crop production susceptible to hornet predation (Gallardo et al., 2024). Thus, areas with very high levels of pollinator-dependent crop production and that are suitable for hornet establishment are considered especially vulnerable. Our particular objectives are to 1) map the global distribution of hornet species richness (= real exposure), identifying the areas where different hornet species are found, allowing us to understand the real exposure to these species across various regions; 2) map the current global occurrence of pollinator-dependent crops that may be vulnerable to hornets (=vulnerability), identifying and locating crops that depend on pollination and may be vulnerable to predation by hornets, and assessing the degree of vulnerability of agricultural systems to the threat posed by these hornets; 3) model the potential expansion of hornets under current and future 2070 climate conditions (= potential exposure), allowing us to anticipate areas that could become more susceptible to hornet invasion in the future; 4) identify hotspots of invasion (=risks), by combining information on hornet species richness and the vulnerability of crops, and identifying areas for developing effective management and mitigation strategies. Our research focuses on the 22 currently described species of hornets (Vespa spp.) (Perrard et al., 2013). Considering all hornet species in this study ensures greater insight into their potential expansion, identifying areas where they could establish if introduced, as well as the risks they pose to pollination-dependent crops. Paper available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.126471 |
| Alternative Identifiers | 10.15470/qmjxeq |
| https://ipt.gbif.es/resource?r=uib-vespa |