Gut microbiota in castes of Vespa velutina nigrithorax, and compasion to Vespa crabro and Apis mellifera

Social insects are among the most successful animal invaders. Their dramatic impact on ecosystem functioning is often mediated by symbiosis with microorganisms. This submission collects data from two manuscripts. In the first, we report a comprehensive comparative characterization of the gut microbial communities of different castes and developmental stages of the invasive hornet Vespa velutina nigrithorax. In the second, a comparisons between Vespa velutina nigrithorax workers, European Vespa crabro workers, and European Apis mellifera workers, is reported