Trip durations of daily and seasonal foraging activities in Mischocyttarus nomurae (Richards) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

Abstract

The study of foraging activity in wasps is important to understand the social organization and its evolutionary success. We examined aspects of the daily and seasonal foraging activities of Mischocyttarus nomurae Richards wasps, in terms of individual trip durationin the collection of different resources. The study was undertaken in two areas in the municipality of Rio de Contas, Bahia State, Brazil. Observations were done for 10 colonies of M. nomurae in their post-emergence phase under natural conditions, five during the rainy period and five during the dry period. The amplitudes of the activity hours were similar between the two periods. The foraging efficiency index was higher (80.56%) during the rainy period than during the dry period (74.42%), with greater percentages of returns with all foraged items (with the exception of prey captures). Temperature influenced positively and significantly the number of trips performed during the rainy period, while temperature and luminosity positively influenced the number of trips performed during the dry period. The mean duration of trips for different resources were greater during the dry period (with the exception of wood pulp), although those differences were not statistically significant. Wasps spent the most part of their time nectar (83.60 min), followed by prey (21.06 min), and wood pulp (1.40 min). We observed that 52.56% of the foraging individuals of M. nomurae collected only a single resource type.