The biology of the mud-wasp Zeta abdominale (Drury) (Hymenoptera: Eumenidae)

Abstract

The adult female nesting behaviour and biology of the neotropical mud-wasp Zeta abdominale (Drury) was studied in Jamaica. The cell-building behaviour was generally similar to that of Eumenes, but Zeta closed the apical funnel of the cell by moistening and re-moulding it into a plug. Each nest was built by a solitary female, who often built several small, mostly one-celled nests. Females efficiently used mud in cell-building, and small nests were advantageous, in needing less mud per cell and incurring a lower rate of predation than larger nests. Cellwall construction and provisioning were each completed in < 3 h, but a long pause between these activities, probably for feeding, delayed cell completion to 2.33 ± 1.0 days. The number of active nesting females during a 10-h cycle was influenced by the time of day and weather. A relatively dense population had about 6.4 females ha−1, whose age distribution, longevity and fecundity were estimated.