Invasive wasps, not birds, dominate in a temperate honeydew system

Gardner-Gee, Robin; Beggs, Jacqueline R.

doi:10.1111/j.1442-9993.2012.02412.x

Cited by 20 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…In New Zealand these wasps can reach the world’s highest known densities of up to 370 wasps per m 2 of tree trunk [ 6 ] and 34 nests per ha [ 7 ]. These high densities are the driver of substantial ecological impacts, which include high predation rates on invertebrates and the domination of food resources [ 8 , 9 ]. Populations of these wasps in Argentina and New Zealand appear to have originated in Western Europe, with populations in the invaded range exhibiting high genetic similarity to those from Belgium and the United Kingdom [ 10 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

No Evidence of Enemy Release in Pathogen and Microbial Communities of Common Wasps (Vespula vulgaris) in Their Native and Introduced Range

et al. 2015

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When invasive species move to new environments they typically experience population bottlenecks that limit the probability that pathogens and parasites are also moved. The invasive species may thus be released from biotic interactions that can be a major source of density-dependent mortality, referred to as enemy release. We examined for evidence of enemy release in populations of the common wasp (Vespula vulgaris), which attains high densities and represents a major threat to biodiversity in its invaded range. Mass spectrometry proteomic methods were used to compare the microbial communities in wasp populations in the native (Belgium and England) and invaded range (Argentina and New Zealand). We found no evidence of enemy release, as the number of microbial taxa was similar in both the introduced and native range. However, some evidence of distinctiveness in the microbial communities was observed between countries. The pathogens observed were similar to a variety of taxa observed in honey bees. These taxa included Nosema, Paenibacillus, and Yersina spp. Genomic methods confirmed a diversity of Nosema spp., Actinobacteria, and the Deformed wing and Kashmir bee viruses. We also analysed published records of bacteria, viruses, nematodes and fungi from both V. vulgaris and the related invader V. germanica. Thirty-three different microorganism taxa have been associated with wasps including Kashmir bee virus and entomophagous fungi such as Aspergillus flavus. There was no evidence that the presence or absence of these microorganisms was dependent on region of wasp samples (i.e. their native or invaded range). Given the similarity of the wasp pathogen fauna to that from honey bees, the lack of enemy release in wasp populations is probably related to spill-over or spill-back from bees and other social insects. Social insects appear to form a reservoir of generalist parasites and pathogens, which makes the management of wasp and bee disease difficult.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

No Evidence of Enemy Release in Pathogen and Microbial Communities of Common Wasps (Vespula vulgaris) in Their Native and Introduced Range

et al. 2015

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“…The German wasp, Vespula germanica and the common wasp, V. vulgaris are invasive vespid species that have colonised New Zealand. They disturb ecosystems (Beggs 2001;Gardner-Gee & Beggs 2012), cause economic damage (Clapperton et al 1989), and are a threat to human health and recreation (Dymock et al 1994;Ward 2013). The arrival of the common wasp has been linked with the decline in abundance of common New Zealand forest birds (Beggs & Wilson 1991;Elliott et al 2010;Innes et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effective distances of wasp (Vespula vulgaris) poisoning using clustered bait stations in beech forest

Harper¹,

Joice²,

Kelly³

et al. 2016

NZ J Ecol

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Poison baiting from fixed bait stations is currently the most effective method to reduce the ecological impacts of invasive Vespula vulgaris wasps in New Zealand. Maintaining extensive bait lines or grids and later removal of unused baits within forest habitats is, however, difficult and time-consuming. To improve costeffectiveness and to make use of wasps' ability to forage at long distances from the nest, we tested the efficacy of using clusters of bait stations. We set up three clusters around Lake Rotoiti within Nelson Lakes National Park, each containing eight stations baited with Xtinguish TM (active ingredient 0.1% fipronil) for 3-4 days in early February, 2010 and recorded the traffic rates of 144 V. vulgaris nests, at varying distances from bait clusters, before and after treatment. The distance from a bait station cluster significantly affected the change in traffic rates, with a GLM model predicting an 80% reduction in average colony size within 113 m of a cluster, and a 50% reduction within 250 m but no reduction at 470 m. The efficacy of the poison baiting was affected by initial colony size-large colonies had greater reductions in traffic than small colonies. Nests up to 150 m higher in elevation than the clusters were as likely to be destroyed as those at the same elevation as the clusters. While overall this baiting strategy did not produce the 80-90% average traffic reductions achieved by more intensive grid baiting systems, it suggests that spacing grouped bait stations approximately 250 m apart has the potential to reduce wasp densities to below an ecologically damaging level with considerably less effort.

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“…Vespula and Polistes have been particularly successful in New Zealand (Beggs et al, ). Vespula reach peak densities in Southern Beech (Nothofagaceae) forests (Lester et al, ; Moller, Tilley, Thomas, & Gaze, ), where they compete with native birds (Gardner‐Gee & Beggs, ), lizards and invertebrates for carbohydrate resources, predate native insects (Beggs, ; Burne, Ritchie, Gruber, & Lester, ) and alter multiple components of the decomposer subsystem (Wardle et al, ). Similarly, Polistes predate native invertebrates (Kumar, Longino, Colwell, & O'Donnell, ; Richter, ; Ward & Ramón‐Laca, ) and dominate food resources otherwise available to native species (Gamboa, Greig, & Thom, ; Ward & Ramón‐Laca, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Vespula and Polistes have been particularly successful in New Zealand (Beggs et al, 2011). Vespula reach peak densities in Southern Beech (Nothofagaceae) forests (Lester et al, 2013;Moller, Tilley, Thomas, & Gaze, 1991), where they compete with native birds (Gardner-Gee & Beggs, 2013), lizards and invertebrates for carbohydrate resources, predate native insects (Beggs, 2001;Burne, Ritchie, Gruber, & Lester, 2017) and alter multiple components of the decomposer subsystem .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogeography and anthropogenic impact shape the success of invasive wasps on New Zealand's offshore islands

Schmack

Schleuning

Ward

et al. 2020

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim The theory of island biogeography predicts that the susceptibility of an island to invasion is determined by its isolation and size. However, many island ecosystems have been intensely modified by humans. Here, we investigated the biogeographic, biotic and anthropogenic drivers of invasive social wasps on 36 offshore islands. Location Islands off the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. Taxa Vespula germanica (Fabricius, 1793), Vespula vulgaris (Linnaeus, 1758) and Polistes chinensis antennalis (Fabricius, 1793), Polistes humilis (Fabricius, 1781). Methods We used GIS software for in situ randomization of plots on each island (36 islands, 409 plots) and conducted 5‐min wasp counts to estimate wasp abundance. Wasp abundance and canopy cover were recorded at each plot. Island isolation was measured using GIS software. Data on island size, human settlement and the presence of introduced rats (Rattus spp.) were collated from the literature and island managers. The number of boat docks per island was counted from satellite images. A generalized linear mixed‐effect model (GLMM) was fitted to identify drivers of Vespula and Polistes abundance on offshore islands. Results The abundance of Vespula was negatively correlated with island isolation and canopy cover, yet positively correlated with island size. Vespula were also more abundant on islands that have been settled by humans. The abundance of Polistes was negatively correlated with canopy cover. Finally, results did not support the notion that invasive wasps were associated with introduced rats on New Zealand's offshore islands. Conclusions Our findings highlight the importance of biogeographic factors, such as island size and isolation, for species invasions, and suggest that intact forest cover could contribute to biotic resistance to invasive wasps in island ecosystems. Studies of invasive species should consider the joint effects of biogeographic, biotic and anthropogenic factors to best inform conservation management.

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Invasive wasps, not birds, dominate in a temperate honeydew system

Cited by 20 publications

References 36 publications

No Evidence of Enemy Release in Pathogen and Microbial Communities of Common Wasps (Vespula vulgaris) in Their Native and Introduced Range

No Evidence of Enemy Release in Pathogen and Microbial Communities of Common Wasps (Vespula vulgaris) in Their Native and Introduced Range

Effective distances of wasp (Vespula vulgaris) poisoning using clustered bait stations in beech forest

Biogeography and anthropogenic impact shape the success of invasive wasps on New Zealand's offshore islands

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