Ambient Temperature Influences Geographic Changes in Nest and Colony Size of Polistes chinensis antennalis Pérez (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

In some Polistes wasps, the foundresses build huge nests during the founding phase to improve the thermal condition of nests. This implies that Polistes wasps change their nesting manner in relation to ambient temperature. To test the hypothesis that nest size increases with latitude, colonies of Polistes chinensis were collected from 11 locations. Three nest parameters, the number of cells cell length and index of functional envelope, increased with latitude. The number of cells at the northernmost station was 60, which was 1.5 times more than in lower latitudes. Cell length increased by approximately 4 mm from low to high latitudes, indicating that extra-building in P. chinensis is remarkable in adding new cells. The number of first broods was not correlated with latitude, whereas the number of second brood increased with latitude because of the numerous cells built at high latitudes

Nest thermoregulation in Polybia scutellaris (White) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Polybia scutellaris (White) builds large nests characterized by numerous spiny projections on the surface. In order to determine whether or not the nest temperature is maintained because of homeothermic conditions of the nest individuals or otherwise, we investigated the thermal conditions within the nests built by P. scutellaris. We measured the temperature within active and abandoned nests. The temperature in the active nest was almost stable at 27°C during data collection, whereas the temperature in the abandoned nest varied with changes in ambient temperature. These results suggest that nest temperature was maintained by the thermogenesis of the individuals of the colony. This is the first report of nest incubation caused by thermogenesis of species of Polybia wasps

Nest Architecture of the Australian Paper Wasp Ropalidia Romandi Cabeti , With a Note on its Developmental Process (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Nest architecture of Ropalidia romandi cabeti was described, based on 2 incipient (an active and an abandoned) nests and 3 developed ones. Developed nests were spherical, or hemispherical when built under flat surfaces, consisted of several to more than 10 horizontal combs with oval or irregular shapes. Each comb was suspended by many pedicels from the upper one. Since several combs were simultaneously constructed at the same story, they often produced irregular interconnections that caused complex stair-like, or “semispiral” structures. Combs were entirely surrounded by an outer envelope with a small entrance hole at the lower tip. The envelope was probably constructed after the first group of combs had been completed. Materials for both cells and envelope were plant fibers glued together with salivary secretion. The surface of envelope was more thickly coated with the secretion than cell walls. The largest nest had about 30,000 cells in more than l0 stories of combs that had a surface area of 1,933 cm2. Its dimensions were 21.5 cm in longer diameter and 17.5 cm in height