Interaction between Vespula germanica and Apis mellifera in Patagonia Argentina apiaries

Buteler, Micaela; Yossen, María Belén; Alma, A.; Lozada, Mariana

doi:10.1007/s13592-021-00871-9

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…As the German yellowjacket is an opportunistic predator (Masciocchi, 2018), it may attack immobile and unguarded nestlings when found, as do other wasp species (Frankhuizen et al., 2020; Fu et al., 2016) and praying mantids (Kolnegari et al., 2022). Thus, nest predation frequency by the German yellowjacket might depend on the density of this vespid in the studied area (Buteler et al., 2021). On the other hand, despite wasps leaving only the chick's bones in the nest (Moller, 1990), birds commonly clean it (i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neotropical songbird chick predation by an invasive wasp, the German yellowjacket (Vespula germanica)

Gorosito,

Cueto

2024

Austral Ecology

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Social wasps (Family: Vespidae) are opportunistic and generalist feeders, which can occasionally feed on live vertebrates. The German yellowjacket (Vespula germanica) is native to Eurasia and Northern Africa, and has invaded many countries around the world, producing several environmental, economic and social impacts. Here we report the first video‐recorded evidence that this wasp species preys on chicks. Over six breeding seasons, we studied the parental care behaviour of the Chilean Elaenia (Elaenia chilensis), a long‐distance migratory bird that breeds in the Andean‐Patagonian Forest. We filmed 59 nests when chicks were 2–3 and 10–11 days old, and recorded in a nest containing two 10‐day‐old nestlings the predation of one of them by German yellowjackets. The other chick was found alive on the ground, indicating that it escaped from the wasps. Parents did not defend offspring against wasp attacks. The rarity of this observation may suggest either that this insect is not yet a significant nest predator or that it is difficult to obtain a record of predation by wasps, because birds may remove dead nestlings from the nests (i.e. nest sanitation). Although Chilean Elaenia is not threatened, 41% of bird species in the Andean‐Patagonian Forest are endemic, and this new nest predator may potentially become a threat to the conservation of any of those species, which deserves further research. Hence, to evaluate the German yellowjacket impact on bird populations, it is imperative to conduct videotaped nest monitoring in order to remove the masking effect of nest sanitation on predator identity, which will allow to determine how much this wasp contributes to nest failure in the invaded zone of the Neotropical region.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neotropical songbird chick predation by an invasive wasp, the German yellowjacket (Vespula germanica)

Gorosito,

Cueto

2024

Austral Ecology

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“…Vespula germanica and V. vulgaris are both truly social wasps that are successful invaders found in the same regions in different parts of the world. This, added to the fact that they often become remarkably common insects in the invaded range and are considered pests, has made the the center of considerable research attention (e.g., Akre and MacDonald 1986;Bashford 2001;Beggs et al 2011;Buteler et al 2021). Both wasps share common morphological and behavioral aspects and are often found together in similar habitats, outside their native range.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term coexistence of two invasive vespid wasps in NW Patagonia (Argentina)

2022

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In Patagonia (Argentina) two non-native vespid wasps became established in the last decades.Vespula germanica was first detected in 1980 while V. vulgaris arrived some 30 years later. Both species can have a strong negative impact on agriculture, natural environment and on outdoor human activities. Invasion success -the establishment and spread of a species-may be influenced negatively by the degree of interaction with the resident native community, and alien species already present. The sequential arrival of these two wasps allows us to understand key questions of invasion ecology. Additionally, recognizing the outcome of the invasion by vespids in Patagonia -a region lacking native social wasps-, may help plan species-focused mitigation and control strategies. We explored long term species coexistence through the deterministic Lotka-Volterra competition model, using site-specific field data on prey captured (to estimate niche overlap) and current nest densities in sites. Food items carried by workers were similar but there is some degree of segregation. V. germanica nest density in shared sites, and in sites without coexistence, were 3.14 and 3.5 respectively, being higher for V. vulgaris with 4.71 and 5.33. The model predicts stable co-existence of both species in the invaded range, yet a higher abundance of V. vulgaris should be expected. Added to evidence on other foraging behavioral attributes of both wasp species and the invasion patterns observed in other regions, it is likely that the prior presence of V. germanica does not contribute significantly to the biotic resistance of the invaded range for V. vulgaris.

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“…The reasons lie in the favourable climate conditions of the new environment, availability of nesting sites, e.g., ancient olive groves present in Sardinia, and the lack of native competitors, such as other hornet species, that could facilitate the dispersal of the invader [17]. For example, the German wasp Vespula germanica (F.) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), a mild predator of Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in its native range [18,19], has become an important threat to beekeeping and biodiversity in areas of new introduction of the wasp [20,21]. Given the lack of information on V. crabro as an alien species and the need to protect the balance of sensitive island ecosystems [6], we conducted our study to better understand the bio-ethology of this species in a new introduction area.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bio-Ethology of Vespa crabro in Sardinia (Italy), an Area of New Introduction

Pusceddu

Lezzeri

Cocco

et al. 2022

Biology

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Vespa crabro, also known as European hornet, is a eusocial Vespidae originally from Eurasia that was accidentally introduced on the island of Sardinia (Italy) in 2010. Currently, its distribution is limited to the northern area of the island. Considering that a non-harmful species in its native region can exhibit invasive behaviour when established in new environments, bio-ethological observations were conducted to better understand whether V. crabro could show invasive traits in Sardinia, which represents a new introduction area. Data on the foraging activity of the European hornet in open fields were collected within a citizen science monitoring program carried out in Sardinia from 2018 to 2020. Moreover, specific behavioural observations were made in apiaries to assess the predatory activity of the hornet towards honey bees and at the entrance of free-living European hornet colonies to evaluate other aspects of its behaviour, i.e., intranidal and extranidal tasks. The results of our study are discussed in relation to the behavioural traits known for this species in its native areas to place the behavioural repertoire of V. crabro in Sardinia into a wider context. Our observations revealed that V. crabro did not show any changes in behavioural traits in Sardinia compared to those described in its area of origin, so the risk of becoming an invasive species on this island seems unlikely.

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Interaction between Vespula germanica and Apis mellifera in Patagonia Argentina apiaries

Cited by 7 publications

References 30 publications

Neotropical songbird chick predation by an invasive wasp, the German yellowjacket (Vespula germanica)

Neotropical songbird chick predation by an invasive wasp, the German yellowjacket (Vespula germanica)

Long-term coexistence of two invasive vespid wasps in NW Patagonia (Argentina)

Bio-Ethology of Vespa crabro in Sardinia (Italy), an Area of New Introduction

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