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

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

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

Long- and short-term changes in social wasp community structure in an urban area

The success of social wasps in anthropic environments is related to their ability to nest both in vegetation and human constructions, and, as humans modify their own environments, wasps community structure may shift as well. Our aim was to assess the diversity of social wasps and their interactions with nesting substrates seasonally in an urban squares area in Southeastern Brazil, 15 years after the first diversity study in this area. We actively searched for nests in the rainy season between 2014 and 2015 and in the dry season of 2015. Although social wasp species richness did not change since the 2000 assessment (13 species in 5 genera), the abundance decreased substantially. Additionally, wasps showed a general trend of nesting on the man-made materials Metal (n = 115, 60%) and Concrete (n = 106, 36%), especially by the two most common species sampled: Mischocyttarus cassununga and Polistes versicolor. We suggest that abundance decrease may correspond to the reduction of green areas in the assayed locations. These results support the well-known importance of maintaining green areas in urban environments to promote the growth and conservation of diverse social wasp communities

Comportamento de nidificação em Polybia platycephala Richards, 1978: dinâmica de temperatura e luminosidade

Nests of social insects function as the interface between colonies and the environment, and studying how environmental factors relate to the nesting behavior is essential in order to understand these organisms’ success in settling and surviving in the urban area. On this sense, our work aimed to study the relation between the social wasp Polybia platycephala nest orientation and the incidence of environmental light, aside from describing its temperature dynamics regarding the microenvironment where it is set. In order to study nest orientation and light incidence, 22 nests were chosen in 2016 in the city of Juiz de Fora, MG, being 11 in the rainy season and 11 in the dry (n= 22). Nest orientation was verified and light incidence on each nest was assessed through the day (06:00h - 18:00h). Additionally, six nests had their orientation experimentally inverted and luminosity was assessed before and after the inversion in order to verify the effect of nest orientation on exposure to light. In order to study temperature dynamics, the same 22 nests were used, and the nest and ambient temperatures were assessed in parallel with the luminosity. In order to verify the effect of the wasp activity on colony temperatures, an abandoned nest and an active colony were observed for 24 hours. The results allowed us to conclude that P. platycephala shows nest orientation strongly biased towards east, increasing exposure to light during the morning; colonies are, however, able to perform modifications on this behavior in order to adapt themselves to their microenvironment and optimize this exposure. Nest temperatures are intensely related to the ambient, fluctuating in parallel with it, which indicates a great dependence of the colonies on the environment to assure their survival. Overall, we found that P. platycephala has an intimate relation with its microenvironment, which may help explain its success in settling urban areas, but also makes it sensible to environmental and climatic changes in them.Os ninhos de insetos sociais funcionam como a interface entre as colônias e o ambiente, e estudar como os fatores ambientais se relacionam com o comportamento de nidificação é essencial para compreender o sucesso desses animais em colonizar e sobreviver na área urbana. Dessa forma, este trabalho teve como objetivo estudar a relação entre a orientação dos ninhos da vespa social Polybia platycephala em áreas urbanas e a incidência de luz ambiental sobre os mesmos, além de descrever sua dinâmica de temperatura em relação ao microambiente em que estão localizados. Para a orientação e a incidência de luz, 11 ninhos foram selecionados em 2016 na cidade de Juiz de Fora, MG, sendo 11 na estação chuvosa e 11 na seca (n= 22). A orientação dos ninhos foi constatada e a incidência de luz de cada ninho foi verificada ao longo do dia (06:00h – 18:00h). Adicionalmente, seis ninhos tiveram sua orientação experimentalmente invertida e a luminosidade foi acompanhada antes e depois da inversão de forma a verificar o efeito da orientação natural sobre a exposição dos ninhos à luz. Para a dinâmica de temperatura utilizaram-se os mesmos 22 ninhos, e a temperatura dos ninhos e do ambiente foram medidas paralelamente à luminosidade. Para verificar o efeito da atividade das vespas sobre a temperatura da colônia, um ninho abandonado e uma colônia ativa foram acompanhados por 24 horas. Os resultados permitiram-nos concluir que P. platycephala apresenta uma orientação de ninhos fortemente enviesada para leste, aumentando a exposição à luz ambiental no período da manhã; são, no entanto, capazes de modificar esse comportamento para adaptar-se ao seu microambiente para otimizar essa exposição. A temperatura dos ninhos é muito relacionada à ambiente, flutuando paralelamente a esta, o que indica uma grande dependência das colônias do mesmo para sua sobrevivência. De forma geral, constatou-se que P. platycephala possui uma íntima relação com o seu microambiente, o que pode ajudar a explicar seu sucesso em colonizar áreas urbanas, mas também a torna sensível a alterações ambientais e climáticas nas mesmas

Transferência de colônias de vespas sociais (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) em área urbana

As vespas sociais são pouco utilizadas como controladores biológicos, em parte por desconhecimento e má fama, e também por que não se sabe como as espécies reagem à transferência de seus ninhos. Assim, nosso estudo visou a transferência de colônias da vespa Polistes versicolor para uma área urbana, acompanhando sua aceitação e desenvolvimento neste ambiente. Colônias de P. versicolor foram transferidas para abrigos artificiais compostos por potes plásticos fixados a uma haste de madeira. Foi feito um acompanhamento da população através de observação direta, três vezes por semana, durante 14 semanas. Houve 75% de aceitação para os abrigos artificiais, contudo verificou-se estresse da transferência pela perda de adultos e por comportamento de larvifagia nos primeiros dias após a transferência. A partir da segunda semana, os ninhos tiveram um evidente crescimento populacional até a formação de agregados de inverno quase 4 meses depois. Este é o primeiro estudo que registra a transferência bem sucedida de P. baixo custo e com potencial para prover serviços ecológicos e econômicos a longo prazo sem a necessidade de atenção ou manutenção intensa

Pest Control Potential of Social Wasps in Small Farms and Urban Gardens

In environments undergoing constant transformation due to human action, such as deforestation and urbanization, the emergence of pests has become a challenge for agriculture and human welfare. In Brazil, over a thousand tonnes of pesticides are used annually, causing serious environmental damage such as the decline of insect populations. It is necessary to search for control alternatives in order to reduce the environmental impact caused by insecticides. This review aims to describe the use of social wasps as agents of biological control, focusing on the perspectives of their use in small farms and urban gardens, and to discuss the benefits of using this method. Studies have shown that 90–95% of the prey captured by wasps in small crops is made of leaf-eating caterpillars. In urban gardens, wasps diversify their prey, among which potential disease vectors, such as dipterans, stand out. We outline techniques for managing social wasp colonies in small farm and urban garden settings, including the use of artificial shelters. Among the advantages of using wasps as control agents, we highlight the practicality of the method, the low operational cost, the absence of prey resistance and the decrease of the use of insecticides

COMPREHENSIVE MEDICATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES IN A BRAZILIAN SPECIALTY PHARMACY: A QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT

Objective: To understand and describe the implementation process of a comprehensive medication management (CMM) service in a public specialty pharmacy in Brazil.Methods: Ethnographic study conducted over 17 mo (September 2014 to February 2016) in a public specialty pharmacy. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve participants. Notes on field journals, resulting from participant observation conducted by the two pharmacists directly responsible for the service implementation, were also used as a source of data.Results: Ten important conditions to improve the success of CMM service implementation were identified: manager support; evaluation of physical and material resources; evaluation of human resources practitioners' characteristics and knowledge about the theoretical framework of CMM services; time dedicated to CMM services; redefining the work process; defining patient eligibility criteria to CMM service; defining patient flow to CMM service; communication with healthcare team; integration with the staff; and marketing the service internally.Conclusion: The results unveiled by this article can be used by pharmacists and managers as a tool to optimize the implementation of CMM services in different healthcare settings. These conditions do not consist the only aspects necessary to ensure the success of the service; however, they can contribute to optimize the implementation process of the practice