Effect of the Habitat Alteration by Human Activity on Colony Productivity of the Social Wasp Polistes versicolor (Olivier) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

• Published in: Sociobiology (Chico, CA) Vol. 61; no. 1; pp. 100 - 106
• Main Authors: Torres, R F, Torres, V O, Suarez, Y R, ANTONIALLI-JUNIOR, W F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: Hymenoptera; Polistes; Vespidae
• ISSN: 0361-6525
• DOI: 10.13102/sociobiology.v61i1.100-106

Currently, the main impacts on biodiversity are generated by human activities in natural environments. Monitoring the number of species of social wasps nesting attached to buildings is important to evaluate the effect of this activity on colony productivity. This study evaluated the effect of habitat alteration, particularly by human activity on the productivity of colonies of the wasp Polistes versicolor. We evaluated 20 abandoned nests and compared the productivity parameters: number of cells constructed, number of adults produced, nest dry mass, proportion of productive cells, number of generations, and diameter of the petiole. Most of these parameters showed higher values in the colonies nesting in the habitat less altered by human activity. Therefore, productivity was significantly higher in this habitat. In the nests, regardless of the site, the cells that were central and closer to the petiole were the most productive. Colonies in the two habitats used different strategies: in the habitat more altered by human activity, the wasps invested more in reusing cells than in enlarging the nest. However, the species continues to nest in the urban area, probably because of decreased interspecific competition, predation, and interference from climate variations.