Building activity and longevity of queenless groups of the Oriental hornet,Vespa orientalis

Abstract

The effect of group size on behavioral parameters of the Oriental hornet,Vespa orientalis, was assessed experimentally under laboratory conditions. Hornet groups of various sizes (ranging from 1 to 100 individuals per group) comprised of young individuals (0–24 hr of age) devoid of a queen were placed in artificial breeding boxes (ABBs). The following three quantitative parameters were evaluated: the amount and rate of building as a function of the number of hornets in the group, the rate of oviposition as, related to group size and the longevity of hornets as a function of their group size. The probability for the occurrence of these events was similarly considered and additional behavioral parameters were only assessed qualitatively.