The Asian hornet, an invasive species and honeybee predator, may soon find a major roadblock in its path of destruction — courtesy of a pioneering artificial intelligence (AI) created by researchers at the University of Exeter, Technology Networks reported.
These problematic yellow-legged insects from southeast Asia entered Europe around 2004 after they were mistakenly brought to France "in some imported pottery," wrote BBC Wildlife Magazine's Discover Wildlife.
Since then, they've been sighted in the U.S. (Georgia and South Carolina) and in many European countries. Recently they've been seen in the U.K. in particular, as Technology Networks noted: "The U.K. sits at the edge of the European invasion front … there is an urgent need for improved monitoring systems."
That's where VespAI comes in. The sophisticated AI can swiftly detect the Asian hornet so that the system's owner can take action to remove the insect.
It's an important upgrade from the current reliance on community observation and reporting since, as system developer Dr. Peter Kennedy commented to Technology Networks: "Unfortunately, the majority of reports submitted are misidentified," often involving native European hornets, "meaning that the responsible agencies have to manually validate thousands of images every year."
Traps are similarly ineffective. "[They] kill a lot of native insects and do little to impact Asian hornet numbers," Dr. Kennedy said.
That's why it's so valuable that VespAI is not only accurate but accessible, even to everyday beekeepers, in discerning the presence of these intrusive insects. Researchers tested a prototype, and "the results were encouraging," said Dr. Thomas O'Shea-Wheller, per Technology Networks. "VespAI shows promise as a robust early warning system."
Invasive species bring considerable risk to a region's environment, economy, and public health, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) explain.
The Asian hornet, per the Guardian, is "a 'nasty' predator that decimates much-loved honeybees and may threaten human livelihoods and health" — and its exponential population growth "suggests its numbers are not being kept in check by natural predators or pathogens."
With enormous nests, rapid spread, and carnivorous appetites, the Asian hornets (described here by the Animal and Plant Health Agency) can quickly take down a honeybee population. The insects can also send worker bees into hiding and damage the human food supply, according to the USDA. On top of that, they can disrupt ecosystems and harm humans with their potent stings, per the Guardian.
Innovative tech is just one avenue to protect pollinators and eliminate invasive species. Join the effort by researching to learn more, volunteering with a local removal project, or even rewilding your yard with a gorgeous native plant garden.
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