New Zealand Journal of Zoology abstracts

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The importance of location and visual cues during foraging in the German wasp (Vespula germanica F.) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Paola D’Adamo

Laboratorio Ecología de Insectos Forestales
Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
EEA Bariloche, CC 277 (8400) Bariloche
Río Negro, Argentina
pdadamo@bariloche.inta.gov.ar

Mariana Lozada

Laboratorio Ecotono
Universidad Nacional del Comahue
Bariloche, Argentina

Abstract  The way in which foraging wasps use cues for prey location and choice appears to depend on both the context and on the type of prey. Vespula germanica is an opportunistic, generalist prey forager, and individual wasp foragers often return to hunt at sites of previous hunting success. In this paper, we studied which cues are used by this wasp when relocating a food source. Particularly we analysed the response to a displaced visual cue versus a foraging location at which either honey or cat food had been previously presented. We conclude that location is used over a displaced visual cue for directing wasp hovering, although the landing response is directed differently according to bait type. When wasps are exploiting cat food, location also elicits landing, but if they are exploiting honey, a displaced visual cue elicits landing more frequently than location.

Keywords  associative learning; foraging behaviour; social wasps

Z02020 Received 6 August 2002; accepted 31 January 2003; Online publication date 8 September 2003
New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 2003, Vol. 30: 171-174
0301-4223/03/3003-0171 $7.00/0 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2003

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