Nests Of Social Wasps Research Articles

Occurrence of Cteisa hirta Solier, 1835 (Tenebrionidae, Alleculinae) in an abandoned nest of a social wasp (Vespidae: Polistinae)

Abandoned nests of social wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae) are often occupied by other arthropods such as ants, spiders, termites, bees, and solitary wasps. However, there are no records of any species of Coleoptera occupying these structures. Therefore, this work aims to report the occurrence of a beetle in an abandoned nest of a social wasp. The presence of the beetle Cteisa hirta (Tenebrionidae, Alleculinae) was observed in a nest of the genus Polistes, at IFMG - Campus Bambuí on March 9, 2023. As only one nest was recorded with the presence of a beetle, it can be suggested that this occupation is casual, but further studies need to be carried out to confirm that the use of abandoned nests by Tenebrionidae, or another family of Coleoptera, is not frequent.

Predation of neotropical social wasp nests by ants.

Predation of neotropical social wasp nests by ants.

Occupation of Synoeca surinama (L.) (Vespidae, Polistinae) nests by Nasutitermes obscurus (Holmgren) (Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae) in the Cerrado

The study of relationships between living beings is essential for understanding the functioning of the ecosystem for the management and conservation of biota, especially in rich and threatened biomes such as the Brazilian Cerrado. Therefore, this study aims to report the occupation of abandoned social wasp’s nests by termites in this biome. In this study, the occupation of two abandoned nests of Synoeca surinama (L.) by the termite Nasutitermes obscurus (Holmgren), recorded by chance, in April 2023 in a gallery forest with the same vegetation type of the Cerrado, located in the Grande Sertão Veredas National Park in southeastern Brazil. Both social wasp nests had their cells occupied by termites, which may have been used as a satellite nest for N. obscurus. This is the first record of a termite species occupying a social wasp’s nests; however, further studies are needed to better elucidate this relationship.

Host Range Expansion of Nest-Parasitic Moths Pyralis regalis and Hypsopygia mauritialis in Social Wasp Nests: New Findings and Implications for Biological Control

Parasitic moths are common in social wasp (Hymenoptera) nests, attacking many species of Polistinae and a few species of Vespinae. In the Republic of Korea, two moth species are known to parasitize the brood of Polistes rothneyi koreanus: Pyralis regalis (Pyralidae) and Anatrachyntis japonica (Cosmopterigidae). Although previously reported elsewhere, a novel case of parasitization was recently documented in the Republic of Korea, in which Hypsopygia mauritialis (Pyralidae) was identified in the nests of social wasps. Pyralis regalis is the most common parasitic moth in the Republic of Korea, feeding on the nests of 11 species of social wasps, mostly the Korean Vespa species. To that list of hosts, we add a species of Dolichovespula and two species of Polistes. Parasitism of Vespa velutina nigrithorax, an invasive alien hornet, by both P. regalis and H. mauritialis, was observed for the first time. However, their potential to control invasive alien hornets is expected to be low. This study provides new insights into the diversity of nest-parasitic moths in social wasp nests and their hosts in the Republic of Korea, and highlights the potential for these moths to impact pest populations.

Camponotus renggeri (Formicidae) predated Agelaia vicina (Vespidae) nest and occupied Parachartergus pseudapicalis (Vespidae) nest

Ants prey on social wasps affecting the evolution of nest architecture, defense behaviors, and selection of nesting sites of these insects. The importance of social wasps in natural and agricultural ecosystems, especially in biological control, justifies studies on predation of these insects by ants. The objective of this work is to report the colony predation of the social wasp Agelaia vicina (de Saussure, 1854) and the nest occupation of Parachartergus pseudapicalis Willinck, 1959 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) by the ant Camponotus renggeri Emery, 1894 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Atlantic Forest biome. The records occurred in 2015 and 2018 in southern Minas Gerais state, Brazil. This is the first record of C. renggeri preying on and occupying social wasp nests. This relationship between social wasps and ants constitutes an adaptation for the survival of these latter insects, and the limited number of records increases the need for research on the relevance of this phenomenon to the ecology of Atlantic Forest Hymenoptera.

Occurrence of Megaselia scalaris Loew (Diptera: Phoridae) in Mischocyttarus cassununga Von Ihering (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae) nests

Social wasp nests create an environment rich in resources, such as food and shelter, which consequently attract predators, parasites, and parasitoids. Parasitoids attacks can be one of the main causes of mortality among social wasps in the early stages of development. Therefore, the aim of this work is to report the occurrence of parasitoids in Mischocyttarus cassununga Von Ihering (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae) nests, in an area of Cerrado, at the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Minas Gerais (IFMG) - Campus Bambuí, Brazil. There was an emergence of four parasitoids from two nests of M. cassununga, identified as Megaselia scalaris (Loew) (Diptera: Phoridae), the first record of this parasitoid in M. cassununga in a Cerrado area.

First record of Elasmus polistis (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), parasitoid of Polistes versicolor (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), in Minas Gerais, Brazil

The social wasps of the order Hymenoptera, family Vespidae and subfamily Polistinae, perform important ecological functions such as pollination and predation, including pest insects, and can be an important resource in biological control. Some species of parasitoids attack nests of social wasps causing mortality in the early stages of development, thus impairing the biological control exercised by these insects. This study aimed to verify the occurrence and identify parasitoids in nests of Polistes versicolor Olivier, 1971, at the Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de Minas Gerais (IFMG) - Campus Bambuí, Brazil. In total, 14 nests of P. versicolor were collected. The parasitism rate was 28.57%, and parasitoids were recorded in four of the 14 nests collected. The presence of parasitized nests may be due to the absence of a protective envelope, typical of the nest of P. versicolor. The emerged parasitoid belongs to the species Elasmus polistis Burks, 1971 (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), a species identified in nests of social wasps only in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. To the best our knowledge, this is the first study that shows the occurrence of E. polistis parasitizing social wasps in the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil.

Antibacterial potential of Nidus vespae built by invasive alien hornet, Vespa velutina nigrithorax, against food‐borne pathogenic bacteria

AbstractThe yellow‐legged hornet, Vespa velutina nigrithorax, is an invasive social wasp found in temperate regions and is recognized as a hazardous insect, as it often attacks humans and honeybees. Nidus vespae (nests of social wasps) are traditionally used as a medicinal ingredient; thus, V. v. nigrithorax may be useful as a biological resource. Extracts of Nidus vespae built by V. v. nigrithorax were examined for their antibacterial activity screening against six food‐borne pathogenic bacteria, and the ethyl acetate and butanol layer of the extract exhibited inhibitory activity against the pathogenic bacteria. We determined the antibacterial activity of Nidus vespae built by V. v. nigrithorax for the first time.

Recent Trends in Wasp Nest Removal and Hymenoptera Stings in South Korea.

To better understand the impact of social wasps on the health of people in South Korea, we analyzed requests to emergency services call centers for the removal of social wasp nests and the effect of Hymenoptera stings on human health between 2010 and 2014. There were 483,233 calls requesting removal of wasp nests and Hymenoptera stings caused 78,860 injuries and 49 deaths. The strong relationships between both the number of emergency calls and injuries, and urban density reflect the sensitivity of densely populated areas to potential threats from wasp and the increased awareness of the wasp nest removal service communicated by public education programs. We found that the removed nests belonged to 17 species of social wasp, with Polistes rothneyi koreanus Vecht and Vespa velutina nigrithorax du Buysson being the most prevalent. Problems associated with the invasive V. v. nigrithorax increased as the species became more widely distributed across the country and more abundant in urban areas. Increases in the incidence of sting injuries among males aged 40-69 between July and September were likely due to increased exposure during outdoor activities involving less-fit adults. In total, 1.5% of victims required hospitalization, of which 98.5% were treated as outpatients. Total medical costs associated with wasp stings over the 5-yr period were approximately 3.2 million USD. Although most wasp sting-related injuries were minor, some were serious, including fatalities, and were probably attributable to lack of education on wasp attack behavior.

Composition of the insect diet in feces of yellow-throated marten, Martes flavigula, in Jirisan National Park, South Korea

The composition of the Martes flavigula diet has been extensively studied, but little is known about its insect component. This study characterized the insect diet and insect nest materials in the feces of M. flavigula . A total of 952 fecal samples were collected in Jirisan National Park from January 2009 to November 2011, and 1379 species or taxonomic groups were identified. M. flavigula fed on insects (8.7%) and bee wax (5.0%), which comprised 2.9% and 4.4% of the dry weight of M. flavigula feces, respectively. A total of 12 insect species belonging to 8 families in 3 orders were identified. The most fre quently found insects were Hymenoptera (frequency of occurrence, FO, 89.1), including Vespa simillima simillima (FO, 37.3) and Vespula koreensis koreensis (FO, 20.0). The Vespidae constituted the majority of the insect diet in autumn when the diversity of marten’s prey was strongly reduced, probably because the numbers of social insects were sufficient for M. flavigula. In addition, the data suggest that M. flavigula attacks the nests of social wasps in late autumn when males do not have a venomous sting and new queens are less aggressive than workers. Bee wax appeared in all seasons and the highest rate was from spring to early summer. However, the remains of honeybees were not found in feces; thus, M. fla vigula presumably eats honey but not honeybees.

Tap patiently, hit safely: a preying tactic of the White Woodpecker on social wasp nests

The Neotropical woodpecker Melanerpes candidus is one of the few bird species known to attack wasp or bee colonies to feed on the brood and honey of these colonial stinging insects. I describe herein a foraging tactic that lessen the risk posed by the nest-defending Paulistinha wasps (Polybia paulista) and allows this woodpecker to feed on the brood with no or little disturbance by the wasps. The bird taps repeatedly on the branch that supports the paper wasp nest, about 2-3 m below the nest. During this process, the nest-defending wasps attack the woodpecker. When the attack is intense, the bird retreats from the nest vicinity only to return instants later. After a while, the woodpecker climbs slowly but steadily towards the nest while tapping continuously, the wasps retreating to the nest top and fleeing away. With the nest largely wasp-free, the bird perches on the nest and preys on the brood. This subtle foraging tactic of M. candidus and its driving the wasps away from their nest contrasts with the sudden, rash, and nest- damaging attacks described for other bird species that prey on wasp and bee broods, such the Neotropical falcon Ibycter americanus and the Old World buzzards of the genus Pernis.

Diversity of the Nests of Social Wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae) in the Northern Pantanal, Brazil

Some species of wasps demonstrate plasticity with diverse nesting habits according to the environmental conditions and substrates used for building the nests, while others are restricted to habitats with specific conditions and may exhibit some degree of fide-lity. The aim of this study was to estimate species richness and abundance of nests of Polistini and Epiponini wasps in four landscape units in the Pantanal of Poconé, Retiro Novo Farm, southwestern Mato Grosso state, Brazil. The nests of social wasps were sampled in four plant physiognomies locally known as cambarazal, landizal, pombeiral and campo limpo from August 25, 2011 to April 11, 2012, being recorded 308 nests of eight genera and 14 species of social wasps. The highest number of nests belongs to Polybia ruficeps xanthops (32.69%), Poly. sericea (24.27%) and Synoeca surinama (15.21%). The highest species richness was recorded in cambarazal and the highest abundance of nests in pombeiral, while campo limpo showed the lowest richness and abundance of nests. The nests of S. surinama were associated with cambarazal and landizal (IndVal = 93.3, P = 0.001), while the nests of Poly. ruficeps xanthops and Poly. chrysothorax were associated with cambarazal, landizal and pombeiral (IndVal = 97, P = 0.001). There was lower abundance and lower species richness of wasps in campo limpo. These results demonstrate that the maintenance of forest environments in the Pantanal is essential for the establishment and maintenance of social wasp nests.

Strike Fast, Strike Hard: The Red-Throated Caracara Exploits Absconding Behavior of Social Wasps during Nest Predation

Red-throated Caracaras Ibycter americanus (Falconidae) are specialist predators of social wasps in the Neotropics. It had been proposed that these caracaras possess chemical repellents that allow them to take the brood of wasp nests without being attacked by worker wasps. To determine how caracaras exploit nests of social wasps and whether chemical repellents facilitate predation, we: (1) video recorded the birds attacking wasp nests; (2) analyzed surface extracts of the birds' faces, feet, and feathers for potential chemical repellents; and (3) inflicted mechanical damage on wasp nests to determine the defensive behavior of wasps in response to varying levels of disturbance. During caracara predation events, two species of large-bodied wasps mounted stinging attacks on caracaras, whereas three smaller-bodied wasp species did not. The “hit-and-run” predation tactic of caracaras when they attacked nests of large and aggressive wasps reduced the risk of getting stung. Our data reveal that the predation strategy of caracaras is based on mechanical disturbance of, and damage to, target wasp nests. Caracara attacks and severe experimental disturbance of nests invariably caused wasps to abscond (abandon their nests). Two compounds in caracara foot extracts [sulcatone and iridodial] elicited electrophysiological responses from wasp antennae, and were also present in defensive secretions of sympatric arboreal-nesting Azteca ants. These compounds appear not to be wasp repellents but to be acquired coincidentally by caracaras when they perch on trees inhabited with Azteca ants. We conclude that caracara predation success does not depend on wasp repellents but relies on the absconding response that is typical of swarm-founding polistine wasps. Our study highlights the potential importance of vertebrate predators in the ecology and evolution of social wasps.

Egg predation within the nests of social wasps: a new genus and species of Phlaeothripidae, and evolutionary consequences of Thysanoptera invasive behaviour

The insects known as thrips are commonly thought of as flower-living and pestiferous organisms, but we report here a novel interaction between a phlaeothripine thrips species, Mirothrips arbiter gen. et sp. nov. and three species of social paper wasps in Brazil. This thrips species breeds inside the wasp colonies, and larval and adult thrips feed on wasp eggs, which become severely damaged. Infested nests can contain up to 300 M. arbiter gen. et sp. nov. individuals. The closest relatives of M. arbiter are two presumably predaceous species: Mirothrips bicolor sp. nov., which inhabits abandoned Cecidomyiidae galls, and Mirothrips analis comb. nov., described from individuals collected in the silken bags of the caterpillars of Psychidae moths. The behaviour exhibited by M. arbiter represents one of the most evolutionarily advanced lifestyles known among Thysanoptera, and we predict that other polistine species serve as hosts for this thrips in Brazil. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 109, 332–341.

Guia de identificação dos ninhos de vespas sociais (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Polistinae) na Reserva Ducke, Manaus, Amazonas, Brasil

Vespidae sociais utilizam principalmente material vegetal para a elaboração de seus ninhos. Embora existam alguns estudos referentes à fauna de vespas na região Amazônica, nenhum trabalho trata exclusivamente dos ninhos. Além disso, nas coleções biológicas poucos são os ninhos tombados, devido principalmente à fragilidade e difícil conservação dos mesmos. O objetivo desse trabalho foi o conhecimento de alguns ninhos encontrados na Reserva Ducke, apresentando informações a respeito dos mesmos e uma chave de identificação dos gêneros. Os ninhos foram coletados através da busca direta, percorrendo os transectos da grade do Programa de Pesquisa em Biodiversidade; locais como margens de igarapés, bordas de acampamentos e construções na sede da reserva também foram explorados. Para todos os ninhos obteve-se o registro fotográfico e a localização exata por GPS. Foram registrados 39 ninhos de vespas sociais alocados em 17 espécies de Polistinae: Agelaia constructor, A. pallipes, Angiopolybia pallens, Apoica pallens, Metapolybia unilineata, Mischocyttarus lecointei, M. saturatus, Polybia bistriata, P. dimidiata, P. jurinei, P. liliacea, P. occidentalis, P. procellosa, P. rejecta, Protopolybia bituberculata, P. chartergoides e Synoeca virginea. Cinco ninhos desabitados de Mischocyttarus, Polybia e Polistes também foram coletados.

Social Wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) Nesting in Eucalyptus Plantations in Minas Gerais, Brazil

ABSTRACT Social wasp colonies can be transferred to agroecosystems in order to control pest populations. Some failures of such transfers are common because wasps may abandon the nest immediately after the colony's transfer. Knowing the nesting habits of wasps in agroecosystems could improve the success of colony transfer during wasp management. Thus, we recorded social wasp nests in a eucalyptus plantation in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. In monthly samplings in a eucalyptus plantation throughout the year, colonies of social wasps were recorded, including Apoica pallens (Fabricius, 1804), Mischocyttarus drewseni (Saussure, 1857), Polistes simillimus (Zikan, 1951), Polybia ignobilis (Haliday, 1836), Polybia occidentalis (Olivier, 1791), Polybia platycephala (Richards, 1951), Polybia sericea (Olivier, 1791) and Protopolybia exigua (Saussure 1854) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Each wasp species was found in nests attached to a eucalyptus tree, 0–3 m high above the ground, or on the grass or directly on the ground. ...

Fluctuations in Richness and Abundance of Social Wasps During the Dry and Wet Seasons in Three Phyto-Physiognomies at the Tropical Dry Forest of Brazil

The social wasp nests were quantified in three different plant physiognomies (forested Caatinga, shrubby Caatinga, and agricultural systems) to analyze the effect of environmental seasonality and plant physiognomy on the richness, nest abundance, and species composition of social wasps in the region of tropical dry forest of Brazil. The forested Caatinga physiognomy had the greatest richness of species (S = 16), followed by shrubby Caatinga (S = 13) and by agricultural system (S = 12). The first axis of detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) explained 67.8% of the variability and shows a gradient of the fauna from agricultural system and shrubby Caatinga to forested Caatinga. In the first axis, wet season scores were much higher than those for the dry season in forested Caatinga. The second axis explained 18.7% of the variability and shows a separation of samples collected during the wet or the dry periods in shrubby Caatinga. This separation was less evident in the agricultural system. Variations in nest abundance were more intense in arbustive caatinga (45% decrease in number of active nests in the dry period), moderate in forested Caatinga (24% decrease in number of active nests in the dry period), and low in agricultural systems (8% decrease in the dry period).

The role of moisture in the nest thermoregulation of social wasps

Paper nests of social wasps are intriguing constructions for both, biologists and engineers. We demonstrate that moisture and latent heat significantly influence the thermal performance of the nest construction. Two colonies of the hornet Vespa crabro were investigated in order to clarify the relation of the temperature and the moisture regime inside the nest. Next to fairly stable nest temperatures the hornets maintain a high relative humidity inside the nest. We found that in consequence a partial vapor-pressure gradient between nest and ambient drives a constant vapor flux through the envelope. The vapor flux is limited by the diffusion resistance of the envelope. The driving force of vapor flux is heat, which is consumed through evaporation inside the nest. The colony has to compensate this loss with metabolic heat production in order to maintain a stable nest temperature. However, humidity fluctuations inside the nest induce circadian adsorption and desorption cycles, which stabilize the nest temperature and thus contribute significantly to temperature homeostasis. Our study demonstrates that both mechanisms influence nest thermoregulation and need to be considered to understand the thermodynamic behavior of nests of wasps and social insects in general.

Amino acid composition of the protein in preemergence nests of Polistes (Polistes) riparius , and its similarity to the consubgeneric wasp, P. (P.) chinensis (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Amino acid composition of the protein in the oral secretion, which is widely used for construction and maintenance of social wasp nests, was analyzed in preemergence nests of Polistes (Polistes) riparius. The kinds and proportion (%) of amino acids of the protein detected from nests of P. riparius were very similar to those of a consubgeneric species, P. (P.) chinensis, but were conspicuously different from those of other social wasp genera. Further, it was estimated that protein contents in oral secretion of P. riparius were nearly the same as those of P. chinensis; namely, foundresses of P. riparius, which build much larger nests than those of P. chinensis, did not reduce relative protein contents to produce more oral secretion at a smaller cost. Amino acid composition may reflect phylogenetic relationships among wasp taxa.

Amino acid composition of the protein in pre-emergence nests of a paper wasp, Polistes chinensis (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

Amino acid composition of protein in oral secretion, which is widely used for construction and maintenance of social wasp nests, was analyzed in pre-emergence nests of Polistes chinensis. More than 20 amino acids were detected from field and laboratory nests, among which glycine, serine, alanine, valine and proline were major amino acids in all samples analyzed. The amino acid composition was very similar among various nest parts, and between field and laboratory nests. Foundresses of P. chinensis produce essentially similar kinds of oral secretion despite variation in their nest sites and in the environment around their nests. The composition of P. chinensis is similar to those so far known among other Polistes species, while different in intergenus comparisons. Amino acid composition of protein in oral secretion may reflect phylogenetical relationships among wasps. The chemical nature of oral secretion, especially the presence of proline in its amino acids, as well as the quantity of secretion production may play an important role to harden their nests. Wasps live their social life on nests which are maintained by such secretion characteristics.