CLIMATIC CHANGES EXPOSE HONEYBEE COLONIES TO ERADICATION DUE TO INCREASING FEROCITY OF ATTACKING PREDATOR, ORIENTAL HORNET VESPA ORIENTALIS L, IN NORTH SINAI REGION

The climatic changes during the last two decades enhanced the invasion and establishment of Vespa orientalis in North Sinai governorate. This study was carried out using the modified hive trap in honeybee apiary at Al-Arish province, to monitor the seasonal abundance, diurnal activity and negative impact of Vespa orientalis as predartor on bee colonies for two successive years (2019 & 2020). The relationships between optimum air temperatures and relative humidity and the dynamic fluctuations of hornet are taken in consideration. The results showed that there are increase in temperature and RH by means of 4.7C° and 2.9 % after thirteen years of the first record of this hornet in North Sinai region. High significant and significant positive correlations were found between the population dynamic of oriental hornet and both temperature and RH, respectively. Few individuals of hornet start to appear from March till May, then low population was observed in June followed by gradual increase from the first week of July up to the end of October. In the two studied years, the highest numbers of hornet were recorded during the first and fourth weeks of September. The wasp tends to disappear from the second fortnight of November. For the diurnal activity of hornet, the highest significant numbers were caught during the periods from 9am till 12 pm and from 12 pm till 3pm in July and August, meanwhile the period before 9 am and after 3pm recorded the lowest numbers of hornet. However, during September and October the highest trapped numbers was alternate toward the second half of the daytime, (12pm to 6pm). The effects of hornet attacking pressure on honeybee colonies start to appear from the 4th week of August in 2019 and from the 2nd week of September in 2020. The highest eradication percentages of bee colonies were in October (25.3% in 2019) and November (19.1% in 2020). The total wiped out percentages of attacked colonies were 57.3 % and 44.1 % during the two years, respectively. It concluded that the future sustainable beekeeping in North Sinai under a great thereat due to the predator of V. orientalis and the efforts must be cooperative to introduce an Integrated Management Control Program included the modified hive traps.