New Zealand Journal of Zoology abstracts
Growth and survival of colonies of the Asian paper wasp, Polistes chinensis
antennalis (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), in New Zealand
B. K. CLAPPERTON
49 Margaret Avenue
Havelock North, New Zealand
J. J. DYMOCK
Ministry of Agriculture
P.O. Box 41
Auckland, New Zealand
Abstract We monitored the fate of 80 colonies of the Asian
paper wasp,
Polistes chinensis antennalis Pérez, in Whangarei
from October 1989 to May 1994, and 54 colonies in Auckland from October 1992 to
May 1995. Colony establishment and production of both females and males began
3-4 weeks earlier in Whangarei than in Auckland. No multiple founding or
co-founding was observed. Nest growth increased steeply throughout January and
early February. Female wasp numbers peaked in late March or early April at both
sites. Males were most numerous between mid March and early April. Numbers of
wasps had declined on all the nests by early May. Nest mortality at the
foundress stage was 28-81% in Whangarei and 68-83% in Auckland. Nest failure
was caused by desertion, predation, and human disturbance. All colonies in
Auckland which produced females also produced males, whereas in Whangarei 27%
of surviving colonies produced only females. Overall colony survival was 25% in
Whangarei and 22% in Auckland. Nests attached to sturdy structures were more
likely to survive than those attached to flexible plant parts. Survival of
P. c. antennalis colonies was lower in New Zealand than in Japan.
Keywords Polistes chinensis antennalis; Vespidae;
colonies; nests; growth; survival; mortality
Received 17 June 1996; accepted 29 August 1996
New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 1997, Vol. 24: 9-15
0301-4223/2401-009 $2.50/0 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand
1997
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (531K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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