Attraction and antennal response of the common wasp, <i>Vespula vulgaris</i> (L.), to selected synthetic chemicals in New Zealand beech forests

El‐Sayed, Ashraf M.; Manning, Lee-Anne; Unelius, C. Rikard; Park, Kye Chung; Stringer, Lloyd D.; White, N.J.; Bunn, Barry; Twidle, Andrew; Suckling, D. M.

doi:10.1002/ps.1782

Cited by 25 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…This is particularly interesting considering that most of the literature on Vespula spp. management options are related to the use of attractive baits, and most studies are conducted in the field with traps baited with different lures (Davis et al 1972;Landolt 1998;Day & Jeanne 2001;El-Sayed et al 2009). It could be more cost-effective in such cases where the aim is to identify attractive compounds to use a wind tunnel or laboratory bioassay (Boevé et al 2014) to screen for potential active compounds before conducting a field study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioural responses of Vespula germanica (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) wasps exposed to essential oils

et al. 2015

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Secondary plant metabolites such as those present in essential oils can be toxic to herbivorous insects and also repel attack, given they play a role in selection and acceptance of host plants. However, few studies have dealt with the use of plant-based repellents to manage invasive wasps. The objective was to assess essential oils with potential as wasp repellents, and to gain further insight as to how they affect the learning capacities of these insects. Five essential oils were tested on Vespula germanica (Fabricius) wasps in field choice and no-choice tests. When given a choice, foragers avoided the treated baits almost completely. Wind tunnel bioassays demonstrated that wasps recognise the repellent essential oils through olfactory cues, leading to a dosedependent decreased response to the food stimulus. The effect of the repellents on the cognitive ability of V. germanica workers was also studied in relation to food search efficiency. Naive workers landed on the treated baits, although it took them longer than to land on control baits. When workers were allowed to forage on a food bait twice before a repellent was added, an effect on relocation behaviour was observed. The returning workers arriving to a feeding site with essential oil were reticent to land on it, suggesting that there is indeed a repellent effect and not just masking of the food source. A push-pull system combining attractive baits with the use of plant-based repellents is a promising management strategy in urban settings for this insect pest.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioural responses of Vespula germanica (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) wasps exposed to essential oils

et al. 2015

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“…For example, traps baited with sweet beer to target Vespa velutina killed numerous other insects, notably Vespula vulgaris, Vespa crabro and various Diptera and Lepidoptera (Dauphin and Thomas 2009;Rome et al 2011). A number of synthetic compounds have been shown to be attractive to social wasps, including heptyl butyrate (Davis et al 1969;El-Sayed et al 2009;Landolt 1998b), 2,4-hexadienyl butyrate (Davis et al 1967), and a mixture of acetic acid with saturated short chain alcohols (Landolt 1998a;Landolt et al 2000). Although attracting and trapping adults can capture a large number of adults, there seems to be enough redundancy of adults within each colony that this results in surprisingly minimal effect on the colony.…”

Section: Management Optionsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Ecological effects and management of invasive alien Vespidae

et al. 2011

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“…While such antagonistic interactions are rare, some are reported in the literature. For instance, the addition of acetic acid to HB blocked its ability to lure V. vulgaris and V. germanica into traps in New Zealand [22]. However, this combination previously showed synergy in attracting V. germanica to traps in other tests [12].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Others have hypothesized that a similar interaction occurs between honeydew volatiles and isobutanol in New Zealand beech forest [7]. That is, while some studies have shown isobutanol to be effective at trapping V. vulgaris in both Europe and New Zealand [7,24], tests conducted in a beech forest that is rich in honeydew have shown no response [22]. This discrepancy may be due to high background levels of honeydew volatiles that antagonize the attractiveness of other compounds by overwhelming or re-directing the wasp olfactory system to a more abundant food source.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhanced Trapping of Yellowjacket Wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) via Spatial Partitioning of Attractants

Liang¹,

Pietri²

2017

Insects

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Several yellowjacket species are important pests in both their native habitat and in areas where they are invasive. Traps that contain one or more chemical attractants to lure insects inside are commonly used to combat these yellowjackets in urban environments. Usually, attractants are placed within the trap and combined indiscriminately, though little is known about how this design influences trap attractiveness or efficacy. Here, using the common attractant heptyl butyrate in combination with chicken extract, we demonstrate that spatial partitioning of attractants results in increased capture of the western yellowjacket Vespula pensylvanica—a widespread pestiferous species. Specifically, we show that partitioning of these attractants results in increased visitation of yellowjackets to a trap while also leading to more individuals entering the trap. Further, we provide evidence that this effect is driven by the ability of heptyl butyrate to function as an attractant to the general location of the trap while also blocking the effects of meat extract as a trap-entering stimulus. Thus, our data challenge the current paradigm of combining attractants inside yellowjacket traps, and suggest that these methods can be improved through the consideration of spatial variables and interactions. Our results not only provide novel insight into the mechanisms of yellowjacket attraction, but are also likely to be applicable to the control of other insects for which attractant-based traps are used.

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Attraction and antennal response of the common wasp, Vespula vulgaris (L.), to selected synthetic chemicals in New Zealand beech forests

Abstract: These results are the first to be reported on the EAG response and the attraction of social wasps to synthetic chemicals in New Zealand beech forests and will enable monitoring of social wasp activity in beech forests.

Cited by 25 publications

References 13 publications

Behavioural responses of Vespula germanica (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) wasps exposed to essential oils

Behavioural responses of Vespula germanica (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) wasps exposed to essential oils

Ecological effects and management of invasive alien Vespidae

Enhanced Trapping of Yellowjacket Wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) via Spatial Partitioning of Attractants

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