Abstract
The evolution of eusociality among the Hymenoptera is related to the development of colonies with big populations, which in turn presented these social insects with the need for a constant intake of nutrients necessary for their collective survival. Taking a closer look on how the social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) manage to provide their colony with resources is of great value to understand the evolution of social life, but also the impact insect societies have on the environments they live in. Here, we attempt to explore the foraging behaviour of vespids, summarizing its general aspects and defining historically established key concepts. We build on previous reviews while bringing updated references and focusing on the literature on Neotropical social wasps (Polistinae). In this chapter, we define and investigate a series of topics, including the foraging activity of colonies, the flight range of foragers, the intricacies of the trophallaxis behaviour, the search and obtainment of different types of resources, and their storage inside nests. Finally, we attempt to diagnose the issues and challenges faced by Neotropical wasp researchers and suggest a few ways investigations may take for the advancement of the field when studying the foraging behaviour.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Akre RD (1982) Social wasps. In: Hermann H (ed) Social insects. Academic, New York, 385 pp
Barbosa BC, Paschoalini MF, Prezoto F (2014) Temporal activity patterns and foraging behavior by social wasp (Hymenoptera, Polistinae) on fruits of Mangifera indica L. (Anacardiaceae). Sociobiology 61(2):239–242
Barbosa BC, Detoni M, Maciel TT, Prezoto F (2016) Studies of social wasp diversity in Brazil: over 30 years of research, advancements and priorities. Sociobiology 63(3):858–880. https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v63i3.1031
Barbosa BC, Detoni M, Maciel TT, Prezoto F (2017) Resource storage in the Neotropical social wasp Mischocyttarus socialis (Saussure, 1854) (Vespidae: Polistini). Sociobiology 64(3):356–358. https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v64i3.1686
Bichara Filho CC, Santos GMM, Santos Filho AB, Santana-Reis VP, Cruz JD, Gobbi N (2010) Foraging behavior of the swarm-founding wasp Polybia (Trichothorax) sericea (Hymenoptera, Vespidae): daily resource collection activity and flight capacity. Sociobiology 55(3):899–907
Brugger BP, Souza LSA, Souza AR, Prezoto F (2011) Social wasps (Synoeca cyanea) damaging Psidium sp. (Myrtaceae) fruits in Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Sociobiology 57:533–535
Campos-Farinha AEC, Pinto NPO (1996) Natural enemies of Chlosyne lacinia saundersii Doubl. & hew. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in the state of São Paulo. Anais da Sociedade de Entomologia do Brasil 25:165–168
Carpenter JM, Marques OM (2001) Contribuição ao estudo dos vespídeos do Brasil (Insecta: Hymenoptera, Vespoidea, Vespidae), vol 2. Cruz das Almas, Universidade Federal da Bahia. Publicações digitais. 147p
Castro MM, Guimarães DL, Prezoto F (2011) Influence of environmental factors on the foraging activity of Mischocyttarus cassununga (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Sociobiology 58:133–141
Cavenazzi NCS, Noll FB (2011) Environmental factors influencing foraging activity in the social wasp Polybia paulista (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Epiponini). Pysche 2011:542487. https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/542487
Chavarría-Pizarro L, West-Eberhard MJ (2010) The behavior and natural history of Chartergellus, a little-known genus of neotropical social wasps (Vespidae Polistinae Epiponini). Ethol Ecol Evol 22(4):317–343. https://doi.org/10.1080/03949370.2010.510035
Chevalier L (1924) Observations sur les guêpes. Bulletin de la Société des sciences naturelles de l'Ouest de la France 3:66–72
Corujo VLF, Basilio MA, Galati BJ (2010) Pollen content accumulated in nests of Polybia scutellaris (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Grana 49:308–313. https://doi.org/10.1080/00173134.2010.525663
Cruz JD, Giannotti E, Santos G, Bichara-Filho C, Rocha A (2006) Nest site selection and flying capacity of neotropical wasp Angiopolybia pallens (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in the Atlantic rain Forest, Bahia, Brazil. Sociobiology 47(3):739–750
De Souza AR, Venancio D, Prezoto F (2010) Social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae) damaging fruits of Myrciaria sp. (Myrtaceae). Sociobiology 55:297–299
Değirmenci L, Thamm M, Scheiner R (2018) Responses to sugar and sugar receptor gene expression in different social roles of the honeybee (Apis mellifera). J Insect Physiol 106(1):65–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinsphys.2017.09.009
Dejean A, Rodríguez-Pérez H, Carpenter JM, Azémar F, Corbara B (2017) The predatory behavior of the Neotropical social wasp Polybia rejecta. Behav Process 140:161–168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2017.05.011
Detoni M, Mattos MC, Castro MM, Barbosa BC, Prezoto F (2015) Activity schedule and foraging in Protopolybia sedula (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Revista Colombiana de Entomología 41(2):245–248
Du Buysson R (1903) Monographie des guêpes au Vespa. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 72:260–288
Edwards R (1980) Social wasps: their biology and control. East Grinstead, Rentokil Ltd, 398p
Elisei T, Ribeiro-Júnior C, Guimarães DL, Prezoto F (2005) Foraging activity and nesting of swarm-founding wasp Synoeca cyanea (Fabricius, 1775) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Epiponini). Sociobiology 46(2):317–327
Elisei T, Nunes JV, Ribeiro C Jr, Fernandes AJ Jr, Prezoto F (2010) Uso da vespa social Polistes versicolor no controle de desfolhadores de eucalipto. Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasielira 45(9):958–964
Elisei R, Ribeiro Júnior C, Guimarães DL, Prezoto F (2012) Comportamento de forrageio de Camponotus sericeiventris Guérin (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) em ambiente urbano. EntomoBrasilis 5(2):170–172
Elisei T, Nunes JV, Ribeiro C Jr, Fernandes AJ Jr, Prezoto F (2013) What is the ideal weather for social wasp Polistes versicolor (Olivier) go to forage? Entomobrasilis 6(3):214–216. https://doi.org/10.12741/ebrasilis.v6i3.342
Evans HE, West-Ebehrard MJ (1970) The wasps. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, 265 pp
Forsyth AB (1978) Studies on the behavioral ecology of polygynous social wasps. Doctorate thesis. Harvard University, Cambridge, 226 pp
Gadagkar R (1991) Belonogaster, Mischocyttarus, Parapolybia, and independent-founding Ropalidia. In: Ross KG, Matthews RW (eds) The social biology of wasps. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, pp 151–190
Galé YL, Morinson MV, Gracia PC (2015) Amplitud de vuelo y capacidad de carga de la avispa social Polybia emaciata Lucas, 1879 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae). Entomotropica 30(11):105–111
Gaul AT (1951) Addition to vespine biology VII. Orientation flight. Bull Brooklyn Entomol Soc 46:54–56
Gaul AT (1952) The awakening and diurnal flight activities of vespine wasps. Proc Royal Entomol Soc London 27:33–35
Ghoul M, Andersen SB, West SA (2017) Sociomics: using Omics approaches to understand social evolution. Trends Genet 33(6):4048–4419. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tig.2017.03.009
Giannotti E, Prezoto F, Machado VLL (1995) Foraging activity of Polistes lanio lanio (Fabr.) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). An. Soc. Entomol. Brasil 24(3):455–463
Gobbi N (1978) Determinação do raio de vôo de operárias de Polistes versicolor (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Ciência & Cultura 30:364–365
Gobbi N, Machado VLL (1985) Material capturado e utilizado na alimentação de Polybia (Myrapetra) paulista Ihering, 1896 (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Anais da Sociedade Entomológica do Brasil 14:189–195
Gobbi N, Machado VLL (1986) Material capturado e utilizado na alimentação de Polybia (Trichothorax) ignobilis (Haliday,1836) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Anais da Sociedade Entomológica do Brasil 15:117–124
Gobbi N, Machado VLL, Tavares-Filho JA (1984) Sazonalidade das presas utilizadas na alimentação de Polybia occidentalis occidentalis (Olivier, 1791) (Hym., Vespidae). Anais da Sociedade Entomológica do Brasil 13:63–69
Gomes L, Gomes G, Oliveira HG, Morlin JJ, Desuó IC, Silva IM, Shima SN, Von Zuben CJ (2007) Foraging by Polybia (Trichothorax) ignobilis (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) on flies at animal carcasses. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 51:389–393
Gravena S (1983) Táticas de manejo integrado do bicho mineiro do cafeeiro Perileucoptera coffeella (Guérin-Méneville,1842): I – Dinâmica populacional e inimigos naturais. Anais da Sociedade de Entomologia do Brasil 12:61–71
Guimarães DL, Castro MM, Prezoto F (2008) Patterns of honey storage in colonies of the social wasp Mischocyttarus cassununga (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Sociobiology 51(3):655–660
Heinrich B (1979) Foraging strategies of caterpillars. Oecologia 42(3):325–337
Heldmann G (1936) Über das Leben auf Wabe mi mehreren überwinterten Weibchen von Polistes gallica L. Biologisches Zentralblatt 56:389–400
Hernández J, Sarmiento CE, Fernández H (2009) Actividad de forrajeo de Polybia occidentalis venezuelana (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Revista Colombiana de Entomología 35(2):230–234
Hickel ER, Schuck E (1995) Vespas e abelhas atacando a uva no Alto Vale do Rio do Peixe. Agropecuária Catarinense 8:38–40
Holfling JC, Machado VLL (1985) Análise populacional de colônias de Polybia ignobilis (Haliday, 1836) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 29(2):271–284
Huffaker CB, Gutierrez AP (1999) Ecological entomology. Wiley, New York, 756 p
Hunt JH (1982) Trophallaxis and the evolution of eusocial hymenoptera. In: Breed MD, Michener CD, Evans HE (eds) The biology of social insects. Westview Press, Boulder, pp 201–205
Hunt JH (1988) Lobe erection behavior and its possible social role in larvae of Mischocyttarus paper wasps. J Insect Behav 1:379–386
Hunt JH (1991) Nourishment and the evolution of the social Vespidae. In: Ross KG, Hunt JH, Baker I, Baker HG (eds) 1982. Similarity of amino acids in nectar and larval saliva: the nutritional basis for trophallaxis in social wasps, Evolution, vol 36, pp 1318–1322
Hunt JH, Nalepa CA (1994) Nourishment, evolution and insect sociality. In: Hunt JH, Nalepa CA (eds) Nourishment and evolution in insect societies. Westview, Boulder, pp 1–19
Hunt JH, Jeanne RL, Baker I, Grogan DE (1987) Nutrient dynamics of a swarm-founding social wasp species, Polybia occidentalis (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Ethology 75:291–305
Hunt JH, Jeanne RL, Keeping MB (1995) Observations on Apoica pallens, a nocturnal Neotropical social wasp (Hymenoptera: Vespidae, Polistinae, Epiponini). Insect Soc 42:223–236
Ikan R, Ishay J (1966) Larval wasp secretions and honeydew of the Aphids, Chaitophorus populi feeding on Populus euphratica as sources of sugars in the diet of the oriental hornet, Vespa orientalis F. Isr J Zool 15:64–68
Ingram KK, Kleeman L, Peteru S (2011) Differential regulation of the foraging gene associated with task behaviors in harvester ants. BMC Ecol 11:19
Ishay J, Ikan R (1968a) Food exchange between adults and larvae in Vespa orientalis F. Anim Behav 16:298–303
Ishay J, Ikan R (1968b) Gluconeogenesis in the oriental hornet, Vespa orientalis F. Ecology 49:1
Iwata K (1976) Evolution of instinct: comparative ethology of hymenoptera. Amerind, Nova Deli, 535 pp
Jacques GC, Pikart TG, Santos VS, Vicente LO, Silveira LCP (2018) Niche overlap and daily activity pattern of social wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae) in kale crops. Sociobiology 65(2):312–319. https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v65i2.2670
Jandt J, Bengston S, Pinter-Wollman N, Pruitt JN, Raine NE, Dornhaus A, Sih A (2014) Behavioural syndromes and social insects: personality at multiple levels. Biol Rev 89:48–67. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.1204
Janet C (1903) Observations sur les Guêpes. Naud, Paris, 82 pp
Jeanne RL (1972) Social biology of the Neotropical wasp Mischocyttarus drewseni. Bull Mus Comp Zool 144:63–150
Jeanne RL (1986) The organization of work in Polybia occidentalis: costs and benefits of specialization in a social wasp. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 19:333–341
Jeanne RL (1991) Polyethism. In: Ross KG, Matthews RW (eds) The social biology of wasps. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, 678 pp
Jeanne RL, Taylor BJ (2009) Individual and social foraging in social wasps. In: Harau S, Hrncir M (eds) Food exploitation by social insects: ecological, behavioral and theoretical approaches. CRC, Boca Raton, pp 53–79
Jeanne RL, Hunt JH, Keeping MG (1995) Foraging in social wasps: Agelaia lacks recruitment to food (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). J Kansas Entomol Soc 68:279–289
Kasuya E (1982) Central place water collection in the Japanese paper wasp, Polistes chinensis antennalis. Anim Behav 30:1010–1014
Köhler A (2008) Floral preferences of the polistine wasp Polistes versicolor versicolor Olivier, 1792 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae, Polistini) in Santa Cruz do Sul, Southern Brazil. Biociencias 16(2):162–165
Krehenwinkel H, Kennedy S, Pekár S, Gillespie RG (2016) A cost-efficient and simple protocol to enrich prey DNA from extractions of predatory arthropods for large-scale gut content analysis by Illumina sequencing. Methods Ecol Evol 8(1):126–134. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12647
Letourneau DK, Chloe J (1987) Homoptera attendance by wasps and ants: the stochastic nature of interactions. Psyche 94:81–91
Lima MAP, Prezoto F (2003) Foraging activity rhythm in the neotropical swarm-founding wasp Polybia platycephala sylvestris (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in different seasons of the year. Sociobiology 42(3):745–752
London KB, Jeanne RL (2003) Effects of colony size and stage of development on defense response by the swarm founding wasp Polybia occidentalis. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 54(539):546
Machado VLL (1984) Análise populacional de colônias de polybia (Myrapetra) paulista (Ihering 1896) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 2(4):187–201
Machado VLL, Parra RP (1984) Capacidade de retorno ao ninho de operarias de Polybia (Myrapetra) scutellaris (White,1841). Anais da Sociedade Entomológica do Brasil 13:13–18
Maciel TT, Ad’víncula HL, Barbosa BC, Prezoto F (2014) Forrageio Oportunista de Vespas Sociais em Armadilhas Atrativas. Anais do XXV Congresso Brasileiro de Entomologia
Marques OM (1996) Vespas sociais (Hymenoptera, Vespidae): características e importância em agrossistemas. Insecta 5:13–39
Mcpheron LJ, Mills NJ (2007) Learning colour and odour in a paper wasp, Mischocyttarus flavitarsis. Entomologia Generalis 30(2):105–118
Moller H, Tilley JAV, Thomas BW, Gaze PD (1991) Effect of introduced social wasps on the standing crop of honeydew in New Zealand beech forests. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 18:171–179
Nascimento FS, Tannure-Nascimento IC (2005) Foraging patterns in a nocturnal swarm-founding wasp, Apoica flavissima van der Vecht (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Neotrop Entomol 34(2):177–181
O’Donnell S (1995a) Division of labor in post-emergence colonies of the primitively eusocial wasp Polistes instabilis de Saussure (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Insect Soc 42:17–29
O’Donnell S (1995b) Necrophagy by Neotropical swarm-founding social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae, Epiponini). Biotropica 27:133–136
Picanço M, Ribeiro LJ, Leite GLD, Gusmão. MR (1988) Seletividade de inseticidas a Polybia ignobilis (Halyday) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) predador de Ascia monuste orseis (Godart) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae). Anais da Sociedade de Entomologia do Brasil 27:85–90
Prezoto F, Braga N (2013) Predation of Zaprionus indianus (Diptera: Drosophilidae) by the social wasp Synoeca cyanea (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Fla Entomol 96:670–672. https://doi.org/10.1653/024.096.0243
Prezoto F, Gobbi N (2003) Patterns of honey storage in nests of the neotropical paper wasp Polistes simillimus Zikán, 1951 (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Sociobiology 41(2):437–442
Prezoto F, Gobbi N (2005) Flight range extension in Polistes simillimus Zikán, 1951 (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Braz Arch Biol Technol 48(6):947–950
Prezoto F, Machado VLL (1999) Ação de Polistes (Aphanilopterus) simillimus Zikán (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) no controle de Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith) (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae). Revista Brasileira de Zoociências 16(3):841–850
Prezoto F, Giannotti E, Machado VLL (1994) Atividade forrageadora e material coletado pela vespa social Polistes simillimus Zikán, 1951 (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Insecta 3:11–19
Prezoto F, Lima MAP, Machado VLL (2005) Survey of preys captured and used by Polybia platycephala (Richards) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae, Epiponini). Neotrop Entomol 34(5):849–851
Prezoto F, Santos-Prezoto HH, Machado VLL, Zanúncio JC (2006) Prey captured and used in Polistes versicolor (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) nourishment. Neotrop Entomol 35(5):707–709
Prezoto F, Barbosa BC, Cappas JP, Santos ME (2016a) Water landing as a foraging strategy to water collection in a social wasp: Polistes dominulus. Curr Ethol 15(2)
Prezoto F, Barbosa BC, Maciel TT, Detoni M (2016b) Agroecossistemas e o serviço ecológico dos insetos na sustentabilidade. In: Resende LO, Prezoto F, Barbosa BC, Gonçalves EL (eds) Sustentabilidade: Tópicos da Zona da Mata Mineira. Real Consultoria em Negócios Ltd, Juiz de Fora, pp 19–30
Prezoto F, Maciel TT, Detoni M, Mayorquin AZ, Barbosa BC (2019) Pest control potential of social wasps in small farms and urban gardens. Insects 10(7):1–10. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects10070192
Rabb RL, Lawson FR (1957) Some factors influencing the predation of Polistes wasps on the tobacco hornworm. J Econ Entomol 50:778–784
Rau P (1928) The honey-gathering habitats of Polistes wasps. Biol Bull Marine Biol Lab, Woods Hole 54:503–519
Rau P (1939) Studies in the ecology and behavior of Polistes wasps. Bull Brooklyn Entomol Soc 34:36–44
Raveret-Richter MA (1990) Hunting wasp interactions: influence of prey size, arrival order, and wasp species. Ecology 71:1018–1030
Raveret-Richter MA (2000) Social wasp (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) foraging behavior. Annu Rev Entomol 45:121–150. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ento.45.1.121
Raveret-Richter MA, Jeanne RL (1985) Predatory behavior of Polybia sericea (Olivier), a tropical social wasp (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 16:165–170
Raveret-Richter MA, Jeanne RL (1991) Hunting behavior, prey capture and ant avoidance in the tropical social wasp Polybia sericea (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Insect Soc 38:139–147
Resende JJ, Santos GMM, Bichara Filho CC, Gimenes M (2001) Atividade diária de busca de recursos pela vespa social Polybia occidentalis occidentalis (Olivier, 1791) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Revista Brasileira de Zoociências 3(1):105–115
Ribeiro Júnior C, Elisei T, Guimarães DL, Prezoto F (2008) Flight range extension in the swarm – founding wasp Protopolybia exigua (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Epiponini). Sociobiology 51(1):173–180
Ribeiro-Júnior C, Guimarães DL, Elisei T, Prezoto F (2006) Foraging activity rhythm of the Neotropical swarm-founding wasp Protopolybia exigua (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Epiponini) in different seasons of the year. Sociobiology 47(1):115–123
Richards OW, Richards MJ (1951) Observations on the social wasps of South America (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Trans Royal Entomol Soc London 102:1–170
Ricioli LS, Mendes G, Guillermo-Ferreira R (2017) Kick out the ants: a novel and striking behavior in ant-wasp interactions. Sociobiology 64(1):119–121. https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v64i1.1199
Rocha MP (2011) Biologia e ecologia comportamental da vespa social Polybia platycephala (Richards, 1978) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae, Epiponini). Master’s dissertation. Juiz de Fora, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, 2011. 76 pp
Rocha AA, Giannotti E (2007) Foraging activity of Protopolybia exigua (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) in different phases of the colony cycle, at an area in the region of the Médio São Francisco River, Bahia, Brazil. Sociobiology 50:813–831
Rossi AM, Hunt JH (1988) Honey supplementation and its developmental consequences: evidence for food limitation in a paper wasp, Polistes metricus. Ecol Entomol 13:437–442
Roubaud E (1916) Recherches biologiques sur les Guepes solitaires et sociales d’Afrique. Annales des Sciences Naturelles, Zoologie 10, 1(1):–160
Santos GMM, Presley SJ (2010) Niche overlap and temporal activity patterns of social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in a Brazilian cashew orchard. Sociobiology 56:121–131
Santos M, Marques OM, Carvalho A (1994) Raio de ação de Polistes canadensis canadensis (L., 1758) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Insecta 3(2):20–24
Santos GMM, Santana-Reis VPG, Resende JJ, Marco PD, Bichara-Filho CC (2000) Flying capacity of swarm - founding wasp Polybia occidentalis occidentalis Oliver, 1791 (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Revista Brasileira de Zoociências 2(2):33–39
Santos GMM, Cruz JD, Bichara Filho CC, Marques OM, Aguiar CML (2007) Utilização de frutos de cactos (Cactaceae) como recurso alimentar por vespas sociais (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Polistinae) em uma área de Caatinga (Ipirá, Bahia, Brasil). Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 24:1052–1056. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0101-81752007000400023
Santos GMM, Zanuncio JC, Pires EM, prezoto F, Pereira JMM, Serrão JE (2009) Foraging of Parachartergus fraternus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Epiponini) on cloudy and sunny days. Sociobiology 53(2B):431–441
Saraiva NB, Prezoto F, fonseca MG, blassioli-Moraes MC, Borges M, Laumann RA, Auad AM (2017) The social wasp Polybia fastidiosuscula Saussure (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) uses herbivore-induced maize plant volatiles to locate its prey. J Appl Entomol. https://doi.org/10.1111/jen.12378
Seeley TD (1989) The honey bee colony as a superorganism. Am Sci 77:546–553
Sih A, Bell A, Johnson JC (2004) Behavioral syndromes: an ecological and evolutionary overview. Trends Ecol Evol 19:372–378
Silva AGA, Gonçalves CR, Galvão DM, Gonçalves AJL, Gomes J, Silva MN, Simoni L (1968) Quarto catálogo dos insetos que vivem nas plantas do Brasil: Seus parasitos e predadores. Rio de Janeiro, Ministério da Agricultura, Depto. de Defesa e Inspeção Agropecuária, pt. 2, t.1, 621p
Silveira OT, Esposito MC, dos Santos JN, Gemarque FE (2005) Social wasps and bees captured in carrion traps in a rainforest in Brazil. Entomol Sci 8:33–39
Sinzato DMS, Prezoto F, Del-Claro K (2003) The role of males in a neotropical paper wasp, Polistes ferreri Saussure, 1853 (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Polistinae). Revista Brasileira de Zoociências 5(1):89–100
Smith AR, Kitchen SM, Toney RM, Ziegler C (2017) Is nocturnal foraging in a tropical bee an escape from interference competition? J Insect Sci 17(2):1–7. https://doi.org/10.1093/jisesa/iex030
Southon RJ, Fernandes OA, Nascimento FS, Sumner S (2019) Social wasps are effective biocontrol agents of key lepidopteran crop pests. Proc R Soc B Biol Sci 286(1914). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.1676
Souza AR, Rocha M, Netto P, Venâncio DFA, Prezoto F (2011) Preliminary homing ability study of Polybia fasidiosuscula (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) workers. Sociobiology 56(1):133–136
Souza GK, Pikart TG, Jacques GC, Castro AA, Souza MM, Serrão JE, Zanúncio JC (2013) Social wasps on Eugenia uniflora Linnaeus (Myrtaceae) plants in an urban area. Sociobiology 60:204–209. https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v60i2.204-209
Spradbery JP (1973) Wasps: an account of the biology and natural history of solitary and social wasps. University of Washington Press, Seattle, 408 p
Strassman JE (1979) Honey caches help female paper wasps (Polistes annularis) survive Texas winters. Science 204:207–209
Sumner S, Law G, Cini A (2018) Why we love bees and hate wasps? Ecol Entomol 43(6):836–845. https://doi.org/10.1111/een.12676
Suryanarayanan S, Jeanne RL (2008) Antennal drumming, Trophallaxis, and Colony development in the social wasp Polistes fuscatus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Ethology 114:1201–1209
Taber SW (1999) The world of the harvester ants. Texas A & M University Press, Austin, 213 pp
Takagi M, Hirose Y, Yamasaki M (1980) Prey-location learning in Polistes jadwigae Dalla Torre (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Kontyû 48:53–58
Taylor BJ, Brus EJ, Jeanne R (2012) Introduction of a scented carbohydrate resource into the nest increases departure rate in Polybia occidentalis. Insect Soc 59(2):151–157
Tindo M, Dejean A (2000) Dominance hierarchy in colonies of Belonogaster juncea juncea (Vespidae, Polistinae). Insect Soc 47(2):158–163
Warkentin KM (2000) Wasp predation and wasp-induced hatching of red-eyed treefrog eggs. Animal Behav 60:503–510
Warrant EJ (2008) Seeing in the dark: vision and visual behaviour in nocturnal bees and wasps. J Exp Biol 211:1737–1746. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.015396
Wenzel JW (1991) Evolution of nest architecture. In: Ross KG, Matthews RW (eds) The social biology of wasps. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, 678 pp
West-Eberhard MJ (1969) The social biology of Polistine wasps. In: Miscellaneous publications no 140. Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 101p
Wheeler WM (1918) A study of some ant larvae, with a consideration of the origin and meaning of the social habit among insects. Proc Am Philos Soc 57:193–343
Wilson EO (1971) The insect societies. Belknap Press, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 548 pp
Wright CM, Lichtenstein JLL, Doreing GN, Pretorius J, Meunier J, Pruitt J (2019) Collective personalities: present knowledge and new frontiers. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 73:31. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-019-2639-2
Acknowledgements
We thank Dr. Bruno C. Barbosa for his support during the writing of this chapter and for providing the photographs used to illustrate foraging behaviours. We also thank Dr. Jennifer M. Jandt for her valuable insights during the revision of our manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Detoni, M., Prezoto, F. (2021). The Foraging Behaviour of Neotropical Social Wasps. In: Prezoto, F., Nascimento, F.S., Barbosa, B.C., Somavilla, A. (eds) Neotropical Social Wasps. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53510-0_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53510-0_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-53509-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-53510-0
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)