Abstract
The community of social wasps and the substrates used for nesting were studied in anthropic environments associated with areas of natural vegetation in the period of March to September of 2015. Three hundred and forty-seven (347) colonies belonging to eighteen (18) species distributed in six genera were recorded. The species with the highest number of colonies were Mischocyttarus cassununga (R. Von Ilhering, 1903) (194 colonies), Mischocyttarus cerberus (Richards, 1940) (50 colonies) and Polybia Paulista (H. Von Ilhering, 1896) (23 colonies). For other species, the record ranged from one to eighteen colonies.
Highlights
Social wasps belong to the subfamily Polistinae (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) and comprise more than 950 described species; they are most diverse in the Neotropical region (Pickett & Carpenter, 2010)
The survival of social wasps depends both on successful colony foundation and strong foraging ability (Dejean et al, 1998; Richter, 2000; Oliveira et al, 2010)
A total of 347 social wasps colonies were found, belonging to 18 species distributed among six genera
Summary
Social wasps belong to the subfamily Polistinae (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) and comprise more than 950 described species; they are most diverse in the Neotropical region (Pickett & Carpenter, 2010). The survival of social wasps depends both on successful colony foundation and strong foraging ability (Dejean et al, 1998; Richter, 2000; Oliveira et al, 2010) These insects can establish nests at various sites in urban or natural environments, and the nesting substrates used are extremely diverse, including the abaxial or adaxial surface of leaves, plant stems, abandoned termite mounds, rocks, and human-made structures (Lima et al, 2000; Alvarenga et al, 2010; López et al, 2012; Souza et al, 2014). Several studies have pointed out that some social wasp species prefer nesting in human-made structures These sites provide protection from weather, and reduce the threat of predation and competition for nesting substrates (Marques & Carvalho, 1993; Lima et al, 2000).
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