Thermoregulation of water foraging wasps ( Vespula vulgaris and Polistes dominulus)

Abstract

A comparison of the thermoregulation of water foraging wasps ( Vespula vulgaris, Polistes dominulus) under special consideration of ambient temperature and solar radiation was conducted. The body surface temperature of living and dead wasps was measured by infrared thermography under natural conditions in their environment without disturbing the insects’ behaviour. The body temperature of both of them was positively correlated with T a and solar radiation. At moderate T a (22–28 °C) the regression lines revealed mean thorax temperatures ( T th) of 35.5–37.5 °C in Vespula, and of 28.6–33.7 °C in Polistes. At high T a (30–39 °C) T th was 37.2–40.6 °C in Vespula and 37.0–40.8 °C in Polistes. The thorax temperature excess ( T th– T a) increased at moderate T a by 1.9 °C ( Vespula) and 4.4 °C ( Polistes) per kW −1 m −2. At high T a it increased by 4.0 °C per kW −1 m −2 in both wasps. A comparison of the living water foraging Vespula and Polistes with dead wasps revealed a great difference in their thermoregulatory behaviour. At moderate T a (22–28 °C) Vespula exhibited distinct endothermy in contrast to Polistes, which showed only a weak endothermic activity. At high T a (30–39 °C) Vespula reduced their active heat production, and Polistes were always ectothermic. Both species exhibited an increasing cooling effort with increasing insolation and ambient temperature.