In Michigan, Crabro cribrellifer tends to show nest clumping within a nest aggregation. Its nesting behavior is similar to that of other Crabro, and it preys on Neoitamus flavofemoratus (Diptera: Asilidae) on warm days in July. Miltogrammine flies Metopia campestris are active at the nesting site

Barrows, Edward M

Eckstein, Cathlyn E

Lebau, Patricia L

English

Valparaiso University

The Great Lakes Entomologist Volume 11 Number 3 - Fall 1978 Number 3 - Fall 1978 Article 8 October 1978 Behavior at a Nesting Site and Prey of Crabro Cribrellifer (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) Edward M. Barrows Georgetown University Patricia L. Lebau University of Michigan Cathlyn E. Eckstein University of Michigan Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle  Part of the Entomology Commons Recommended Citation Barrows, Edward M.; Lebau, Patricia L.; and Eckstein, Cathlyn E. 1978. "Behavior at a Nesting Site and Prey of Crabro Cribrellifer (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae)," The Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 11 (3) Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol11/iss3/8 This Peer-Review Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at ValpoScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Great Lakes Entomologist by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at scholar@valpo.edu. THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST BEHAVIOR AT A NESTING SITE AND PREY OF CRABRO CRlBRELLlFER (HYMENOPTERA: SPHECIDAE) Edward M. ~arrows', Patricia L. ~ e b a u ~ ,  and Cathlyn E. ~ c k s t e i n ~  ABSTRACT In Michigan, Crabro cribrellifer tends to show nest clumping within a nest aggregation. Its nesting behavior is similar to that of other Crabro, and it preys on Neoitamus flavofemoratus (Diptera: Asilidae) on warm days in July. Miltogrammine flies Metopia campestris are active at the nesting site. Crabro cribrellifer (Packard) (Hymenoptera: Sphedicae) is found from New Hampshire to Florida and in Ontario, Michigan, and Indiana. It preys on the asilid Ommatius tibialis Say (Krombein, 1951), and probably Tolmerus novaescotiae (Marquart) according to Kurczewski and Acciavatti (1968) who review nesting behaviors of Nearctic species of Crabro. There have been no published investigations regarding the biology of C. cribrellifer; therefore, we report aspects of its nesting and provisioning with a previously unrecorded prey. Wasps were studied in July, 1977, on the grounds of the University of Michigan Biological Station, Cheboygan County, Michigan. Twenty-six wasps were marked for individual recognition with fast-drying enameI paints of different colors. Nests were in a 40-m-long part of a lightly-used, level, dirt road through a second growth woods primarily composed of Acer rubrum L., Populus tremuloides Michx., Pinus strobus L., Quercus rubra L., and BetuIa papyrifera Marsh. Means and medians are given in parentheses after ranges of data. A 5.9 X I m section of the road contained most of the nests. Forty-eight nest entrances in this 5.9 mZ area approached having a subclumped distribution (R = 0.86, c = 1.94, p = 0.052 that nest distribution differs from a subclumped one by chance alone, nearest neighbor analysis, Clark and Evans, 1954). This may result from nest initiating females being attracted to nests of other females, patchy distribution of soil which is preferred for nesting, or both. Tumuli surrounded many of the entrances when the site was discovered and wasps dug new nests during July. Eight excavated nests had main burrows that were from 6 to 44 cm long and had from 0 to 19 subhorizontal cells (6.5,4). Nine cells contained from 1 to 5 asilid flies Neoitamus flavofemoratus (Hine) 2.5, 3); some appeared paralyzed and others were decomposing. One cell contained one wasp larva and two cells each contained one wasp pupa. Three cells each contained one ellipsoid wasp cocoon that was about 5 rnrn in diameter by 13 mm long. Nest examination indicates that Crabro cribrellifer has this nesting behavior: nest- (prey)negg [[cell closed and new cell prepared-(prey)"-egg] " closure (Evans and Eberhard, 1970). This nesting pattern may enable wasps, in times of prey scarcity, to fill a cell over a period of days before oviposition, or conversely, to fill cells rapidly when prey is abundant and yet space out egg laying over several days. At about 0800hrs, six wasps dug out of nests through loose soil that plugged entrances. If oak leaves fell over entrances, wasps chewed through Leaves as they were l ~ e ~ a r t m e n t  of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, and Univer- sity of Michigan Biological Station, Pellston, MI 49769. 2university of Michigan Biological Station, Pellston, MI 49769. 1Barrows et al.: Behavior at a Nesting Site and Prey of <i>Crabro Cribrellifer</i>Published by ValpoScholar, 1978176 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 11, No. 3 leaving nests. Wasps left nests open while they were away from them. Wasps without .asilid prey spend from 0 to 195 sec (48.4, 20, N = 14 observations) orienting before they entered nests. Orienting involved flying from side to side over entrances, making looping flights over the nesting site, or both. After leaving nests, wasps spent from 0 to 420 sec (31.7, 5, N = 23) orienting before they flew from the nesting site. One wasp closed her nest from inside with loose soil at 1530 hrs immediately after she brought in an asilid. In 42 observations of wasps returning with prey, ambient temperatures were from 24" to 34" C. The degree of temporal synchronization of C. cribrellifer hunting and asilid prey activity has yet to be studied. Six marked wasps each entered two different nests. One wasp provisioned two nests on the same day. One nest was provisioned by one wasp on a particular day and by another wasp on the next day. Possible communal nesting in C. cribrellifer should be studied; such nesting is known in other Crabronini (Evans and Eberhard, 1970). Wasps carried asilids with their middle legs and held asilid venters next to their venters as do other Crabro (Evans, 1960). After wasps brought flies into their nests, wasps spent from 16 to 61 min in nests (26.6, 19, N =  19 observations) before leaving them again. Wasps with prey sometimes plunged headlong into nests, but usually they landed a few centimeters from them, lifted prey in the air, flew to  perches on plants next to the nesting site, and then flew from these perches to  their nest entrances Several wasps dropped their prey (possibly due to investigator movements) and did not pick them up. Miltogrammine flies Metopia campestris (Fallbn) were frequently seen about the nesting site. They circled nest entrances, rested on tumuli, and entered nests for from 2 to 100 sec (18.0, 12, N =  21). One wasp cell contained two asilids and two maggots which may have been M. campestris. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Arnold S. Menke, Raymond J. Gagnb, and Lloyd V. Knutson, USDA, Washaton,  D.C., identified C. cribrellifer, M. campestris, and N. flavofemoratus, respectively. Howard E. Evans, Colorado State University, and Bobbi S. Low and Elizabeth Hertz, University of Michigan, made important comments regarding this note; Low and Hertz also helped with field work. Dominica B. Hill helped prepare the manuscript. LITERATURE CITED Clark, P. J. and F. C. Evans. 1954. Distance to  nearest neighbor as a measure of spatial relationships in populations. Ecology 35:445-453. Evans, H. E. 1960. Observations on the nesting behavior of three species of the genus Crabro (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae). J. N. Y. Entomol. Soc. 48:123-134. Evans, H. E. and M. J. W. Eberhard. 1970. The wasps. Univ. Mich. Press, Ann Arbor. Krombein, K. V. 1951. in: Muesebeck, C. F. W., K. V. Krombein, and H. K. Townes Hymenoptera of America North of Mexiw Synoptic Catalog. U.S. Dept. Agri. Monogr. No. 2. U.S. Govt Printing Office, Washington, D.C. Kurczewski, F. E. and R. E. Acciavatti. 1968. A review of the nesting behaviors of the Nearctic species of Crabro, including observations on C. advenus and C. Zutipes (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae). J .  N. Y. Entomol. Soc. 76: 196-212. 2The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 11, No. 3 [1978], Art. 8https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol11/iss3/8

Behavior at a Nesting Site and Prey of \u3ci\u3eCrabro Cribrellifer\u3c/i\u3e (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae)

ValpoScholar

The Great Lakes Entomologist 
Volume 11 
Number 3 - Fall 1978 Number 3 - Fall 1978 Article 8 
October 1978 
Behavior at a Nesting Site and Prey of Crabro Cribrellifer 
(Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) 
Edward M. Barrows 
Georgetown University 
Patricia L. Lebau 
University of Michigan 
Cathlyn E. Eckstein 
University of Michigan 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle 
 Part of the Entomology Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Barrows, Edward M.; Lebau, Patricia L.; and Eckstein, Cathlyn E. 1978. "Behavior at a Nesting Site and Prey 
of Crabro Cribrellifer (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae)," The Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 11 (3) 
Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol11/iss3/8 
This Peer-Review Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at ValpoScholar. 
It has been accepted for inclusion in The Great Lakes Entomologist by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. 
For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at scholar@valpo.edu. 
THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 
BEHAVIOR AT A NESTING SITE AND PREY OF CRABRO 
CRlBRELLlFER (HYMENOPTERA: SPHECIDAE) 
Edward M. ~arrows', Patricia L. ~ e b a u ~ ,  and Cathlyn E. ~ c k s t e i n ~  
ABSTRACT 
In Michigan, Crabro cribrellifer tends to show nest clumping within a nest aggregation. 
Its nesting behavior is similar to that of other Crabro, and it preys on Neoitamus 
flavofemoratus (Diptera: Asilidae) on warm days in July. Miltogrammine flies Metopia 
campestris are active at the nesting site. 
Crabro cribrellifer (Packard) (Hymenoptera: Sphedicae) is found from New Hampshire 
to Florida and in Ontario, Michigan, and Indiana. It preys on the asilid Ommatius tibialis 
Say (Krombein, 1951), and probably Tolmerus novaescotiae (Marquart) according to 
Kurczewski and Acciavatti (1968) who review nesting behaviors of Nearctic species of 
Crabro. There have been no published investigations regarding the biology of C. cribrellifer; 
therefore, we report aspects of its nesting and provisioning with a previously unrecorded 
prey. 
Wasps were studied in July, 1977, on the grounds of the University of Michigan 
Biological Station, Cheboygan County, Michigan. Twenty-six wasps were marked for 
individual recognition with fast-drying enameI paints of different colors. Nests were in a 
40-m-long part of a lightly-used, level, dirt road through a second growth woods primarily 
composed of Acer rubrum L., Populus tremuloides Michx., Pinus strobus L., Quercus 
rubra L., and BetuIa papyrifera Marsh. Means and medians are given in parentheses after 
ranges of data. 
A 5.9 X I m section of the road contained most of the nests. Forty-eight nest 
entrances in this 5.9 mZ area approached having a subclumped distribution (R = 0.86, c = 
1.94, p = 0.052 that nest distribution differs from a subclumped one by chance alone, 
nearest neighbor analysis, Clark and Evans, 1954). This may result from nest initiating 
females being attracted to nests of other females, patchy distribution of soil which is 
preferred for nesting, or both. Tumuli surrounded many of the entrances when the site 
was discovered and wasps dug new nests during July. Eight excavated nests had main 
burrows that were from 6 to 44 cm long and had from 0 to 19 subhorizontal cells 
(6.5,4). Nine cells contained from 1 to 5 asilid flies Neoitamus flavofemoratus (Hine) 
2.5, 3); some appeared paralyzed and others were decomposing. One cell contained one 
wasp larva and two cells each contained one wasp pupa. Three cells each contained one 
ellipsoid wasp cocoon that was about 5 rnrn in diameter by 13 mm long. 
Nest examination indicates that Crabro cribrellifer has this nesting behavior: nest- 
(prey)negg [[cell closed and new cell prepared-(prey)"-egg] " closure (Evans and Eberhard, 
1970). This nesting pattern may enable wasps, in times of prey scarcity, to fill a cell over 
a period of days before oviposition, or conversely, to fill cells rapidly when prey is 
abundant and yet space out egg laying over several days. 
At about 0800hrs, six wasps dug out of nests through loose soil that plugged 
entrances. If oak leaves fell over entrances, wasps chewed through Leaves as they were 
l ~ e ~ a r t m e n t  of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, and Univer- 
sity of Michigan Biological Station, Pellston, MI 49769. 
2university of Michigan Biological Station, Pellston, MI 49769. 
1
Barrows et al.: Behavior at a Nesting Site and Prey of <i>Crabro Cribrellifer</i>
Published by ValpoScholar, 1978
176 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 11, No. 3 
leaving nests. Wasps left nests open while they were away from them. Wasps without 
.asilid prey spend from 0 to 195 sec (48.4, 20, N = 14 observations) orienting before they 
entered nests. Orienting involved flying from side to side over entrances, making looping 
flights over the nesting site, or both. After leaving nests, wasps spent from 0 to 420 sec 
(31.7, 5, N = 23) orienting before they flew from the nesting site. One wasp closed her 
nest from inside with loose soil at 1530 hrs immediately after she brought in an asilid. In 
42 observations of wasps returning with prey, ambient temperatures were from 24" to 
34" C. The degree of temporal synchronization of C. cribrellifer hunting and asilid prey 
activity has yet to be studied. 
Six marked wasps each entered two different nests. One wasp provisioned two nests 
on the same day. One nest was provisioned by one wasp on a particular day and by 
another wasp on the next day. Possible communal nesting in C. cribrellifer should be 
studied; such nesting is known in other Crabronini (Evans and Eberhard, 1970). 
Wasps carried asilids with their middle legs and held asilid venters next to their venters 
as do other Crabro (Evans, 1960). After wasps brought flies into their nests, wasps spent 
from 16 to 61 min in nests (26.6, 19, N =  19 observations) before leaving them again. 
Wasps with prey sometimes plunged headlong into nests, but usually they landed a few 
centimeters from them, lifted prey in the air, flew to  perches on plants next to the 
nesting site, and then flew from these perches to  their nest entrances Several wasps 
dropped their prey (possibly due to investigator movements) and did not pick them up. 
Miltogrammine flies Metopia campestris (Fallbn) were frequently seen about the 
nesting site. They circled nest entrances, rested on tumuli, and entered nests for from 2 
to 100 sec (18.0, 12, N =  21). One wasp cell contained two asilids and two maggots 
which may have been M. campestris. 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
Arnold S. Menke, Raymond J. Gagnb, and Lloyd V. Knutson, USDA, Washaton,  
D.C., identified C. cribrellifer, M. campestris, and N. flavofemoratus, respectively. Howard 
E. Evans, Colorado State University, and Bobbi S. Low and Elizabeth Hertz, University of 
Michigan, made important comments regarding this note; Low and Hertz also helped with 
field work. Dominica B. Hill helped prepare the manuscript. 
LITERATURE CITED 
Clark, P. J. and F. C. Evans. 1954. Distance to  nearest neighbor as a measure of spatial 
relationships in populations. Ecology 35:445-453. 
Evans, H. E. 1960. Observations on the nesting behavior of three species of the genus 
Crabro (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae). J. N. Y. Entomol. Soc. 48:123-134. 
Evans, H. E. and M. J. W. Eberhard. 1970. The wasps. Univ. Mich. Press, Ann Arbor. 
Krombein, K. V. 1951. in: Muesebeck, C. F. W., K. V. Krombein, and H. K. Townes 
Hymenoptera of America North of Mexiw Synoptic Catalog. U.S. Dept. Agri. 
Monogr. No. 2. U.S. Govt Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 
Kurczewski, F. E. and R. E. Acciavatti. 1968. A review of the nesting behaviors of the 
Nearctic species of Crabro, including observations on C. advenus and C. Zutipes 
(Hymenoptera: Sphecidae). J .  N. Y. Entomol. Soc. 76: 196-212. 
2
The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 11, No. 3 [1978], Art. 8
https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol11/iss3/8


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Behavior at a Nesting Site and Prey of \u3ci\u3eCrabro Cribrellifer\u3c/i\u3e (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae)

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