scholarly journals Ontogeny of familiarity with foraging landscape and foraging abilities in the tropical social waspRopalidia marginata

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Souvik Mandal ◽  
Anindita Brahma ◽  
Raghavendra Gadagkar
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Memory ◽  
Building Material ◽  
Social Wasp ◽  
Social Wasps ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Ropalidia Marginata ◽  
Angular Difference ◽  
Foraging Effort ◽  
Individual Preferences ◽  
Summary Statement

ABSTRACTPossessing spatial familiarity with their foraging landscape may enable animals to reduce foraging effort without compromising on foraging benefits. For animals inhabiting feature-rich landscapes, spatial familiarity can increase with increasing age/experience. To check whether this holds for individually foraging tropical social waspRopalidia marginata, we recorded the number and duration of all foraging trips, the identity of the materials brought to the nest (building material, water or food) and the directions of outbound and inbound flights (respective to their nests) of known-age foragers from three natural colonies, each for three consecutive days. The average trip duration and time spent daily in foraging increased rapidly until about first four weeks of their life, during which they rarely brought food to their nest, although many of them brought building material and water. Thereafter, their average as well as per day duration of foraging trip started decreasing gradually. Nevertheless, their foraging efficiency and success for food kept on increasing monotonically with age. These results suggest that older wasps were more efficient in foraging despite spending less time doing so. With increasing age, wasps developed individual preferences for the direction of their outbound flights, increased directionality of their inbound trips as well as the angular difference between their outbound and subsequent inbound flights, indicating development of spatial memory. We conclude that wasps acquire familiarity with their foraging landscape in their initial foraging phase and gradually develop robust memory for rewarding sites and routes to those sites, which enables them to increase their foraging capabilities.SUMMARY STATEMENTContrary to insects inhabiting less-featured landscapes, tropical social wasps invest weeks to get familiar with foraging landscapes during their early foraging lives. This eventually enables them to increase foraging gain with reduced effort.

scholarly journals SOCIAL WASP FAUNA (HYMENOPERA: POLISTINAE) FROM THE CAATINGA AND THE ATLANTIC FOREST OF THE STATE OF BAHIA, BRAZIL

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lúcio Flávio Freire Lima ◽  
Lúcio Flávio Freire Lima
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Social Wasp ◽  
Social Wasps ◽  
The State ◽  
Active Search ◽  
Nest Sampling ◽  
First Time ◽  
Central South ◽  
Rich Fauna

In this work, we carried out an inventory of social wasps (Hymenoptera, Polistinae) from remnants of Caatinga and Atlantic Forest from the central-south region of the state of Bahia. Nest sampling was carried out in the period from March 2010 to June 2011, using the method of active search. We obtained 90 nests and identified 22 species, three subspecies and one morphospecies of social wasp belonging to ten genera and eight subgenera. Five species were recorded for the first time in the state of Bahia, and the genus Polybia was the most frequent one, with seven identified species. The obtained results confirmed the diversity of the Atlantic Forest, and point to a rich fauna of social wasps in the Caatinga.

Males of the social wasp Ropalidia marginata can feed larvae, given an opportunity

2006 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 345-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruchira Sen ◽  
Raghavendra Gadagkar
Keyword(s):  
Social Wasp ◽  
Ropalidia Marginata ◽  
The Social

Diversity of Social Wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae) in an Agricultural Environment in Bambuí, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Sociobiology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel De Castro Jacques ◽  
Marcos Magalhães Souza ◽  
Heslander Júnio Coelho ◽  
Lucas Oliveira Vicente ◽  
Luis Claudio Paterno Silveira
Keyword(s):  
Social Wasp ◽  
Social Wasps ◽  
Minas Gerais ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Biological Pest Control ◽  
Wasp Species ◽  
Agricultural Environment ◽  
Control Programs ◽  
Long Term Survey

Studies on the diversity of social wasps in agricultural environments represent an important step to identifying the ideal species to be used in biological pest control programs. There is a growing effort to acknowledge the diversity of such Hymenoptera in the state of Minas Gerais, but information on anthropized environments is still rare. The objective of this study was to obtain data on the diversity of social wasps in the Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciências e Tecnologia de Minas Gerais (IFMG), Bambuí campus, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Sampling was conducted from July 2012 to July 2014 with two methodologies: attractive traps and active search. This work confirms that a well diversified environment, even if anthropized, is rich in social wasp species. In addition, the great number of collected species, shows the importance of a long-term survey and the use of more than one method of collection. The high rate of collections of Polistes versicolor in a predominantly agricultural environment, coupled with other studies on this species as a predator of lepidopteran caterpillars, suggests the use of this species as a tool in the biological control of pests.

First observations of a social wasp preying on termite workers

Sociobiology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 225
Author(s):  
Christopher K Starr
Keyword(s):  
West Indies ◽  
Social Wasp ◽  
Social Wasps ◽  
First Report ◽  
Nasutitermes Corniger ◽  
The Social

The social wasp Polybia quadricincta is observed preying opportunistically on workers of the termite Nasutitermes corniger in Trinidad, West Indies.  Several Polybia spp. and other social wasps are known to prey on winged reproductive, but this appears to be the first report of any preying on workers.

Pre-imaginal biasing of caste in a primitively eusocial insect

1988 ◽  
Vol 233 (1271) ◽  
pp. 175-189 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Adult Life ◽  
Social Wasp ◽  
Caste Differentiation ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Ropalidia Marginata ◽  
Eusocial Insect ◽  
Eusocial Insects ◽  
Insect Societies ◽  
The Social ◽  
Primitively Eusocial

Primitively eusocial insects often lack morphological caste differentiation, leading to considerable flexibility in the social and reproductive roles that the adult insects may adopt. Although this flexibility and its consequences for social organization have received much attention there has been relatively little effort to detect any pre-imaginal effects leading to a bias in the potential caste of eclosing females. Experiments reported here show that only about 50 % of eclosing females of the tropical social wasp Ropalidia marginata build nests and lay eggs, in spite of being isolated from all conspecifics and being provided ad libitum food since eclosion. The number of empty cells in the parent nest, which we believe to be an indication of the queen’s declining influence, and a wasp’s own rate of feeding during adult life predict the probability of egg laying by eclosing females. These results call for an examination of the possibility that all females in primitively eusocial insect societies are not potentially capable of becoming egg layers and that reigning queens and possibly other adults exert an influence on the production of new queens.

scholarly journals Is the social wasp fauna in the tree canopy different from the understory? Study of a particular area in the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest

Sociobiology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Somavilla ◽  
Raimundo Nonato Martins de Moraes Junior ◽  
José Albertino Rafael
Keyword(s):  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Brazilian Amazon ◽  
Social Wasp ◽  
Social Wasps ◽  
Tree Canopy ◽  
Amazon Rainforest ◽  
Forest Understory ◽  
Insect Community ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Difference

Most studies about the insect community in rainforests only focus on the forest understory, and even though the rainforest canopy is one of the most fascinating and diverse environments, it remains poorly explored. Therefore, we analyzed the difference between the social wasp composition in these two strata at the ZF-2 Station in the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest, using flight interception traps (Malaise model Gressi and Gressi), in the rainforest understory and canopy. We collected ninety-two species belonging to 18 genera; Polybia was the richest genera (22 species), followed by Mischocyttarus (14) and Agelaia (13). Forty-four species were exclusively collected in the understory, twenty exclusively collected in the canopy, and twenty-eight in both strata. The understory was distinctly more diverse and more abundant than the canopy, while some rare or poorly collected species were only found in the canopy. We found a strong relationship between the species composition at the ZF-2 Station and the Ducke Reserve. Therefore, we suggest using traps in canopy in the Amazon biome as an effective method for collecting a higher diversity of social wasps.

scholarly journals Social wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae) from Ducke Reserve, Amazonas, Brazil

Sociobiology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Somavilla ◽  
Marcio Luiz De Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Light Trap ◽  
Social Wasp ◽  
Social Wasps ◽  
Amazon Region ◽  
Malaise Trap ◽  
Common Elements ◽  
Active Search

Social wasps are common elements in Neotropics, although even elementary data about this taxon in the Amazon region is partially unknown. Therefore the purpose of this work was to increase the knowledge of social wasp fauna at the Ducke Reserve. One hundred and three species belonging to nineteen genera were recorded. The richest genera were Polybia (28 species), Agelaia (12) and Mischocyttarus (12). Seventy species was collected in active search, 42 species using Malaise trap, 25 suspended trap, 20 attractive trap and nine light trap. Ducke Reserve has one of the highest number of Polistinae wasps in reserves or parks in the Neotropic region.

scholarly journals A founder-controlled, social wasp assemblage, and a recent severe fall in numbers

Sociobiology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 325
Author(s):  
Anthony Raw
Keyword(s):  
Social Wasp ◽  
Social Wasps ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Global Trend ◽  
Turn Over

The 35 species of social wasps surveyed in an 8 ha plot in the Cabeça de Veado valley near Brasilia (1979 and 1997) averaged 17.9 species per survey. From 1/3 to 1/2 of the species disappeared between consecutive surveys and only two were present in every survey. On average, 43% of the 40 species known to inhabit the valley were recorded on each survey. This high rate of turn-over demonstrates that the wasps comprised a “founder-controlled” assemblage. On two more surveys, nine species were recorded in 2010 and ten in 2015; numbers which reflect recent reports on the global trend of losses of social wasps.

scholarly journals Foraging Behaviour and Individuality in the Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Davide Santoro
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Social Wasps ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Nest Defence ◽  
Foraging Effort ◽  
Social Bees ◽  
Vespula Vulgaris ◽  
The Common

<p>The extreme ecological success of insect societies is frequently attributed to the division of labour within their colonies (Chittka & Muller, 2009; Holldobler & Wilson, 2009; E. Wilson & Hölldobler, 2005). Yet, we are far from understanding the causes and consequences of division of labour, implying workers’ specialization (Chittka & Muller, 2009; Dornhaus, 2008). Moreover, little studied is the behaviour of individual workers (Jeanson & Weidenmüller, 2013). Social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) have received less attention than social bees and ants, and our knowledge of basic aspect of their ecology is still poor (Jeanne, 1991; Greene, 1991). With my thesis, I aimed to contribute to a better understanding of the common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) foraging ecology and organization of labour. With a particular attention to their foraging behaviour, I investigated the inter-individual variability among wasp workers and their cooperation.  My thesis shows evidence of information sharing and co-ordination in V. vulgaris foragers’ activity. In fact, the discovery and choice of resources by wasp foragers was assisted by information provided by experienced nestmates (Chapter 2). When resources known to portion of the workforce became newly available, the foraging effort of the whole colony increased. My observations of common wasps are hence consistent with foraging activation mechanisms and suggest piloting (in which one individual leads one or more nestmates to a resource) as a possible foraging recruitment mechanism in social wasps.  I found huge variation in lifetime activity, task performance, and survival among common wasp workers (Chapter 3). Some individuals specialized on alternative foraging tasks over their lifetime, and a minority individuals performed a disproportionately high number of foraging trips (elitism). Foragers appeared to become more successful with age, accomplishing more trips and carrying heavier fluid loads. Compared to smaller nestmates, larger wasps contributed more to the colony foraging economies. High mortality was associated with the beginning of the foraging activity, relative to lower mortality in more experienced workers.  I evaluated the performance of common wasp workers within the same insect colony, and found empirical support for the hypothesis that specialist foragers are more efficient than generalists (Chapter 4). In fact, V. vulgaris behavioural specialists performed more trips per foraging day and their trips tended to be shorter. Despite their more intense foraging effort, specialists lived longer than generalists.  I investigated the intra-colonial variation in the sting extension response (SER) of common wasps, measured as a proxy for individual aggressiveness (Chapter 5). I found that wasps vary greatly in their SER and that individuals change during their life. Aggressive individuals tended to become more docile, while docile individuals more aggressive. Older wasps tended to be more aggressive. Wasp size was not significantly related to the SER. Wasp foragers had a less pronounced sting extension than individuals previously involved in nest defence. For the same individual, the aggressive response was proportional to the intensity of the negative stimulus.</p>

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