Biological Studies of Polistes in North Carolina (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)1
- 1 January 1960
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Annals of the Entomological Society of America
- Vol. 53 (1) , 111-121
- https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/53.1.111
Abstract
Polistes fuscatus, P. exclamans , and P. annularis were the most abundant of the six Polistes species occurring in the study area, and consequently received more attention than P. hunteri, P. metricus , or P. rubiginosus . Though nest founding by overwintering queens began in early April, most nests were established in late April and early May. For exclamans the average duration of the egg, larval, and pupal stages were, respectively, 11, 20, and 14 days, or a total of about 45 days from egg to adult; fuscatus and hunteri required similar lengths of time. Over 95% of the prey of these three species consisted of free-feeding lepidopterous larvae. The prey of annularis came mostly from wooded areas, while that of fuscatus and exclamans was typically associated with herbaceous vegetation of open fields. Seasonal changes in the composition of the prey were correlated with changes in its seasonal abundance or feeding habits. In a fuscatus colony, returning wasps with prey and fiber were a relatively small percentage of the total returners, most of which were unladen or carried water or liquid sweets. Both diurnal and seasonal variations in the number of returners with various materials were influenced by temperature. The most commonly observed natural enemies of Polistes were two ichneumonids, Polistiphaga stupida and P. fulva , the pyraustid lepidopteron Dicymolomia pegasalis , and various species of spiders.Keywords
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