Foraging behavior of fire ant Solenopsis saevissima (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Felis catus Linnaeus (Carnivora: Felidae) carcass

Solenopsis saevissima fire ants were found foraging in a Felis catus carcass over tissues an secretions present in holes and mucosa. The ants built a dirt-made physical structure around the carcass, which prevented necrophagous flies from laying eggs or larvae in the body. These observations are relevant to increasing knowledge on the role of this ant genus in the decaying process of other animal corpses, including humans

Opportunistic predation of a colony of Polybia platycephala (Richards) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) by Labidus praedator (Smith) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Social wasps have developed several defense mechanisms, especially against ants. Predator attacks are the main threat to their nests. The strategy adopted by the wasps, when attacked by ants, is to abandon the nest, thus preserving the adult population for future nesting. The present study reports in detail the predation of a colony of Polybia platycephala by Labidus praedator

Temporal activity patterns and foraging behavior by social wasps (Hymenoptera, Polistinae) on fruits of Mangifera indica L.(Anacardiaceae)

This research was done in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil on february 2012, with objective was to determine which species of social wasps visiting mango fruits, their behaviors displayed by them while foraging and verify which the species of wasps visitors offer risk of accidents to farmers. The studied area was monitored during February 2012, from 8:00 to 17:00. in a 144 hour effort, and the data collected included the time of activity, diversity, aggressiveness and the general behavior of social wasps around the fruits. There were registered a total of 175 individuals of 12 different species, healthy fruits were damaged during the day, and we registered the abundance and richness peaks throughout the day. This study indicated the needs for special care during the harvest, as aggressive wasps are indeed present and the abundant, resulting in a possible increase of the risk for the workers

Activity schedule and foraging in Protopolybia sedula (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

Protopolybia sedula is a social swarming wasp, widely spread throughout many countries in the Americas, including most of Brazil. Despite its distribution, studies of its behavioral ecology are scarce. This study aimed to describe its foraging activity and relation to climatic variables in the city of Juiz de Fora in southeastern Brazil. Three colonies were under observation between 07:00 and 18:00 during April 2012, January 2013, and March 2013. Every 30 minutes, the number of foragers leaving and returning to the colony was registered along with air temperature and relative humidity. Activity began around 07:30¸ increased between 10:30 and 14:30, and ended around 18:30. A mean of 52.7 exits and 54 returns were measured every 30 minutes. The daily mean values were 1,107 ± 510.6 exits and 1,135 ± 854.8 returns. Only one colony showed a significant correlation between forager exits and temperature (rs = 0.8055; P \u3c 0.0001) and between exits and relative humidity (rs = -0.7441; P = 0.0001). This paper shows that climatic variables are likely to have little control on the foraging rhythm of P. sedula when compared to other species, suggesting the interaction of other external and internal factors as stimuli of species foraging behavio

Previously unreported nesting associations of Yellow-Olive Flycatcher (Tolmomyias sulphurescens) (Aves: Tyrannidae) with social wasps and bees

Previously unreported nesting associations of Yellow-Olive Flycatcher (Tolmomyias sulphurescens) (Aves: Tyrannidae) with social wasps and bee

Resource Storage in the Neotropical Social Wasp Mischocyttarus socialis (Saussure, 1854) (Vespidae: Polistini)

Like other Hymenoptera, the social wasps can store liquid and solid resources inside the cells of their nests as reserve for periods of foof shortage. This study describes the occurrence of honey storage in colonies of the neotropical independently-founding wasp Mischocyttarus socialis. During August 2016, in the dry season, 15 colonies in the post-emergence phase were recorded at the botanical garden of Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora in southwestern of Brazil. Five of the colonies showed honey stored inside empty and immature (eggs) cells. The presence of these two patterns for this species suggests that the storage behavior can be a short-term strategy to feed larvae as soon as they emerge and also a long-term storage to complement population diet during food shortages

Polybia (Myrapetra) scutellaris (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) foraging on flies at carcasses of Rattus norvegicus (Rodentia: Muridae)

Social wasps stand out due to their role in the trophic balance of the ecosystems. These insects can get nutrients by preying on other insects, such as Lepidoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera and the decomposing remains of vertebrates. Some species, such as Polybia scutellaris, can also use pollen and nectar stored in their nests to produce honey. Some studies lay emphasis on the prey captured by social wasps, showing that predation, in some conditions, is directed to Lepidoptera larvae, such as for Polybia occidentalis, Polybia paulista and Polybia ignobilis. Other species like P. scutellaris focus on flies of the Tabanidae, Syrphidae, Muscidae and Anthomyiidae families. There are few studies with social wasps that feed on animal carcasses; this way, our study aims to report the predation on individuals of the Sarcophagidae family, which use Rattus norvegicus carcasses as a food source, by the social wasp Polybia scutellar

Studies of social wasp diversity in Brazil: Over 30 years of research, advancements and priorities

The first records of social wasps in Brazil were made during expeditions that focused on the taxonomy and distribution of the species in the country. From the 70s there was a change in the essence of publications on the diversity of social wasps, which began to be directed to a specific place, which over the years have incorporated the use of sampling methodologies and analysis of results through ecological indexes. Since then, the neotropical social wasps have gained more prominence because of the recognition that act decisively in the trophic balance of ecosystems, thus increasing interest in research on these insects. So, our aim was to conduct a detailed analysis of published studies diversity of social wasps in Brazil over the past 33 years, aimed at increasing knowledge about the history of these works. For the literature review criteria were adopted: keywords with the matter and publications indexed in databases within the defined period. We found 78 publications, with the majority (70.52%) in scientific journals. From the year 2005, there was a regularly featured in publications with the years 2010, 2012 and 2014 as the most productive and a concentration of studies in BA, MG and SP states. Were used 11 collection methods, however there no a pattern of time or collection methodology, highlighting the Search-Active methods and Attractive Trap. The contribution of this analysis is to extend the current status of knowledge of social wasps with research as well as guide and encourage future studies to places unexplored

Water landing as a foraging strategy to water collection in a social wasp: Polistes dominulus

Este estudo descreve o comportamento de coleta de água da vespa social europeia Polistes dominulus. As vespas campeiras pousavam diretamente na superfície da água e gastam 10-15 s coletando água. Ao fazer isso, as vespas podem evitar a predação por predadores no solo. No entanto, nem todos os indivíduos pousam diretamente na superfície da água, e sugerimos que esse comportamento especializado seja realizado apenas por forrageiras experientes.This study describes the first case of water landing for water collection in the European paper wasp Polistes dominulus. Wasp workers land directly on the water surface and spend 10-15 s collecting water. By doing so, the workers may avoid predation by ground predators. However, not all workers land directly on the water surface, and we suggest that this specialized behavior is performed only by experienced foragersinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Variation in nesting behavior of the arboreal ant Camponotus sericeiventris (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

This is the first record of nesting in the soil by the ant Camponotus sericeiventris (Guérin-Méneville, 1838), which has arboreal habit. The study was conducted in southeastern Brazil, in an ant colony located in a subterranean site. This study describes, for the first time, the ability of this arboreal species to vary its nesting site by the occupation of an unusual place in an urban environment; and this study demonstrates that this species is an interesting model for studies in urban environments