First Records of Vespa velutina (Lepeletier) (Color form Nigrithorax) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in North America, an Invasive Pest of Domesticated Honeybees

The first confirmed records of Vespa velutina (color form nigrithorax) in North America are provided along with a timeline of detections in the port city of Savannah GA, USA, an important Atlantic sea and rail port. This color form is the ‘invasive’ form that has spread throughout much of Europe since its accidental introduction into southern France in 2004. It has also spread into South Korea and Japan. A brief overview of its introduction and establishment in Europe and Asia is provided. Its biology as relevant to its detection in the USA, and its threat to both agriculture and native ecosystems are summarized. We give a brief description and color images of workers to aid in its identification and analyze sequence data for the mitochondrial COI gene to assess if the Savannah population originated either from invasive European, Korean, or Japanese populations, or from part of its native range. An initial genetic analysis supports the conclusion that the invasive population originates from a population in East Asia and not Europe. Further sequencing of the nuclear genome will be required to attribute the invasive population in North America to a specific location in East Asia. The sequenced mitochondrial COI gene matches accessions from individuals located in South Korea, Japan, and Zhejiang Province of China.