Social Learning in Vespula Germanica Wasps: Do They Use Collective Foraging Strategies?

Lozada, Mariana; Adamo, Paola D’; Buteler, Micaela; Kuperman, M. N.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0152080

Cited by 14 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 43 publications

(51 reference statements)

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“…The curves of arrivals to multifida essential oil: ρ = −0.28, p = 0.31; α-terpinene: ρ = −0.04; n = 25, p = 0.87). Spearman's rank correlation ρ, α = 0.05 the untreated bait describe a non-linear pattern, which indicates the existence of local enhancement and recruitment to the food source, in accordance with what was observed by Lozada et al (2016). Meanwhile, the arrival pattern was linear and the slope of the curve significantly lower in treated baits.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

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Essential oils as vespid wasp repellents: Implications for their use as a management strategy

Yossen

Lozada

Kuperman

et al. 2019

J Applied Entomology

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Recently, plant‐based repellents have been proposed as a potential alternative to classic pesticides against pest wasps, in certain scenarios. Here, the repellent effect of Dysphania multifida essential oil and one of its main terpenoid components, α‐terpinene, were tested under field conditions with natural populations of wasps in Patagonia Argentina. D. multifida essential oil (paico), as well as α‐terpinene, repelled V. germanica wasps in the field. A strong avoidance of food baits treated with the essential oil or α‐terpinene was observed in choice and no‐choice tests. In no‐choice tests, the time it took wasps to arrive at the bait was significantly greater in treated baits than in control baits. Also, the total number of arriving wasps in 30 min was significantly greater in untreated baits in comparison with treated baits, under similar environmental conditions and wasp density. As the wasps’ flight season progressed, wasp density and motivation for proteinaceous food sources increased. This was evidenced by a greater total number of wasps in untreated baits with time. On the contrary, the number of wasps in treated baits remained low throughout the peak season. Both the paico essential oil and the α‐terpinene act as powerful repellents for V. germanica wasps, generating an avoidance response to treated food sources. Thus, these compounds have potential to be used as repellents to prevent wasps’ approaches and foraging, when applied in close proximity to a food source.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…Moreover, nest recruitment has also been demonstrated in this species (Lozada, D'Adamo, Buteler, & Kuperman, 2016;Overmyer & Jeanne, 1998;Santoro, Hartley, Suckling, & Lester, 2015;Schueller, Nordheim, Taylor, & Jeanne, 2010;Taylor, Schalk, & Jeannem, 2010).…”

mentioning

confidence: 75%

Essential oils as vespid wasp repellents: Implications for their use as a management strategy

Yossen

Lozada

Kuperman

et al. 2019

J Applied Entomology

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“…; Lozada et al . ), although it is not clear why could this be occurring in terms of cost–benefit trade‐offs. Several authors have assessed that maladaptive behaviour can be found in various species (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How single events can influence decision‐making in foraging Vespula germanica (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) social wasps

Moreyra

Lozada

2018

Austral Entomology

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Social insects are known for their behavioural plasticity and learning abilities. In the present work, we evaluated whether a single past experience could influence Vespula germanica (F.) foraging behaviour by analysing wasp response in two changing situations: when food was displaced at different distances from a previously learned location and when the amount of resource was significantly decreased. In the former case, wasps were allowed to collect meat once from a dish which was later displaced 300, 600 or 900 mm from the previous location. Thus, on the second visit, wasps encountered an empty dish in place of the previously baited one. We recorded the time taken to find the displaced food, the number of hovers over the previously learned location and the direction of first approach of returning foragers. Wasps spent less time searching at the previously learnt site when the dish with food was displaced 300 mm rather than 600 or 900 mm from the learned location. In the second experiment, when two dishes with food were simultaneously offered, one containing 20 g and another 80 g, wasps preferred the 80 g dish. On their second visit, we switched the position of the dishes and recorded which dish wasps collected food from. We found that most wasps collected food from the previously learned location and not from the dish with the more abundant resource. This study illustrates the remarkable influence of a single collecting experience on V. germanica subsequent foraging behaviour.

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“…The global success of this species is mainly determined by its food plasticity, which makes it easily adaptable to different environments [4,5,6]. In fact, the European wasp is an opportunist predator and a scavenger because its eclectic diet includes small prey, vertebrate and invertebrate carrions, food and garbage from humans, and also carbohydrates from nectar, fruits and honeydew [7,8,9,10]. Coelho and Hoagland [11] reported that in the late summer and early autumn, German yellowjackets feed on dead honey-bees found at the ground level near hives.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…germanica foragers are attracted by the presence of conspecifics at food sources by local enhancement processes [25,26] and they can influence other naive foragers to search for an odor sampled inside the nest [27]. Lozada et al [10] show that there is evidence of social communication for forager recruitment even at a distance from the resource: when foragers return to the nest after the foraging trip, the subsequent number of wasp foragers was approximately four times higher compared to when communication with the nest was not possible.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeding strategies and intraspecific competition in German yellowjacket (Vespula germanica)

et al. 2018

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The German yellowjacket (Vespula germanica) is an opportunist predator and a scavenger, whose eclectic diet also includes honey, brood, dead and live honey-bees. There is no evidence in this species of coordinated attacks against bees involving other conspecifics, although intraspecific competition has been already reported between two or more individuals during feeding. Our aim was to gain further knowledge on the feeding behavior of V. germanica in order to evaluate its role in an apiary. Sight observations of predation and necrophagy behaviors were carried out at the ground level near hives. We also investigated how intraspecific competition can influence the feeding display in this species. Our results confirm the major role of the German yellowjacket as a scavenger, because its diet is based mostly on bee carrions. Intraspecific competition during feeding was sometimes observed. When these events occurred, the interference of another wasp led to the bee escaping only in three cases. Our study also revealed that intraspecific competition events increase when the resource is fresh (predation vs necrophagy), and that the number of competing wasps was significantly higher when the food consisted of pupae and drones, compared to adult bees. When competition involved two individuals (the most frequent case), the winner was frequently the first wasp to reach the resource in both predation and necrophagy events. This suggests that the energy invested in foraging or predating activity and in defence of prey is usually rewarded.

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Social Learning in Vespula Germanica Wasps: Do They Use Collective Foraging Strategies?

Cited by 14 publications

References 43 publications

Essential oils as vespid wasp repellents: Implications for their use as a management strategy

Essential oils as vespid wasp repellents: Implications for their use as a management strategy

How single events can influence decision‐making in foraging Vespula germanica (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) social wasps

Feeding strategies and intraspecific competition in German yellowjacket (Vespula germanica)

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