Resource Storage in the Neotropical Social Wasp Mischocyttarus socialis (Saussure, 1854) (Vespidae: Polistini)

Abstract

Like other Hymenoptera, the social wasps can store liquid and solid resources inside the cells of their nests as reserve for periods of foof shortage. This study describes the occurrence of honey storage in colonies of the neotropical independently-founding wasp Mischocyttarus socialis. During August 2016, in the dry season, 15 colonies in the post-emergence phase were recorded at the botanical garden of Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora in southwestern of Brazil. Five of the colonies showed honey stored inside empty and immature (eggs) cells. The presence of these two patterns for this species suggests that the storage behavior can be a short-term strategy to feed larvae as soon as they emerge and also a long-term storage to complement population diet during food shortages.

Community of social wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) in Atlantic Forest remnants in the Western of the state of Paraná, Southern Brazil

“…Some species of this taxon, such as M. cassununga, have ethological adaptations, such as the reuse of nests for the development and formation of new adults (CASTRO et al, 2014). Moreover, M. socialis are able to store food (BARBOSA et al, 2017). These factors corroborate to clarify the greater representativeness of the genus in question.…”

Vespas Sociais (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) na Mata Atlântica do Paraná, Sul do Brasil

“…Due to this relevance, there has been a considerable effort since the beginning of the 21st century to better understand the distribution and occurrence of these insects in Brazil (Barbosa et al, 2017), in different biomes such as the Caatinga (Santos et al, 2007;, Cerrado (Souza et al, 2020a;Simplício et al, 2022), Amazon (Silva & Silveira, 2009;Somavilla et al, 2020), Pantanal (Almeida et al, 2014), Pampa (Luz et al, 2014;Somavilla & Köhler, 2017) and Atlantic Forest (Souza et al, 2020b). However, despite these studies, there are still under-sampled areas in some states, such as Paraná, which relies on only two studies with information on the occurrence and distribution of populations of social wasps (Richards, 1978;Silva et al, 2021), therefore, without information for one of the largest conservation units for the protection of the Atlantic Forest in the interior of Brazil, the Iguaçu National Park (ICMBio, 2018a).…”