Predatory and Population Characteristics of the Social Wasp Agelaia centralis (Cameron, 1907) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) in a Crop Environment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v73i3.12536Keywords:
Epiponini, foragin behaviour, prey, Daily flight activity, colony demographyAbstract
Many insect species are known only by their scientific names, with scarce information about their biology, even when they are widely distributed and promising predators in crop environments. For predatory species such as social wasps, foraging rhythm, prey diversity, flight range, and colony size are cornerstones of characterizing their impact on the environment. Here, we studied these aspects for the widespread social wasp Agelaia centralis (Cameron, 1907), in a Colombian oil palm plantation. We recorded the foraging rhythm and the type of items brought to the nest. A preliminary flight distance was assessed. Colony sizes were calculated using Schumacher-Eschmeyer and Lincoln-Petersen estimators. The round flights ranged between 198 and 325 individuals/10 min, with a peak in the morning and another in the afternoon. The efficiency index for load items ranged between 18.2 and 19.7. Between 87% and 90% of the solid items carried to the nest were prey. These included Araneae, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, and Orthoptera, but most samples (>72%) were unidentifiable due to malaxation. Wasps released up to 400 m were recaptured from the nest. Estimated colony sizes ranged between 893.6 and 6122.4 individuals. Between 5% and 28% of individuals of a colony are foraging within a 10 min observation slot. The study sets basic information to calculate the impact of this social wasp as an arthropod predator in an agricultural environment.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Hans S. Poveda-Marroquin, Sara Milena C-Mican, Tagarit D. Ariza-Riveros, Dana S. Forero-Leiva, Valentina García-Barbosa, Andés A. Gutiérrez-Garcia, Jesús Consuegra, Carlos E. Sarmiento
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