Chemical and behavioral ecology of pestiferous Polistes paper wasps

Dane Carl Elmquist

doi:10.7273/000004000

Paper wasps in the genus Polistes are ultimately beneficial insects, but can attain pest status in certain contexts. They constitute a stinging hazard when in close proximity and frequent contact with people. Several species nest on/inside man-made structures, and some species are noteworthy with their mating/aggregating on towers and conspicuous man-made landmarks. Chemical communication is believed to mediate reproductive behaviors and food foraging in Polistes. Semiochemicals that are attractants might be developed and deployed in traps to capture wasps and alleviate their pest impacts. Fermented carbohydrate feeding attractants have been effectively used to trap certain species of Polistes. The invasive Polistes dominula was more attracted to the odor of peony flower buds, which bear extrafloral nectar, compared to fermented carbohydrate baits traditionally used to trap social wasps, such as the native Polistes aurifer. The differential attraction responses seen among different odors indicates baits traditionally used for wasp trapping are not as attractive to P. dominula as the plant-based volatiles associated with peony buds. Understanding the attraction of P. dominula to plant kairomones can lead to chemical lures as alternatives to fermented baits. Sex pheromones are also sources of potential attractants. Studies herein indicate pheromone-mediated sexual communication in Polistes exclamans. The chemical basis of attraction was confirmed as compounds captured in solvent extracts and volatile collections elicited attractive behavioral responses. Results from bioassays indicate pheromones elicit male scent-marking, attraction of females to males and males to females, and male mounting in P. exclamans. Finally, paper wasp behavior might also be manipulated using the insect's learning ability. We present the first evidence of olfactory-based associative learning of food odors in P. dominula. The ability of a wasp to learn and respond to chemical cues associated with food presents a novel possibility to manipulate wasp behavior. Our results show wasps that associate a chemical with a food are more effectively trapped with lures dispensing that chemical, suggesting that associative learning could be exploited for practical application. This thesis is important for developing and utilizing sex pheromones, plant kairomones, and a wasp's associative learning ability to mitigate localized populations of pestiferous Polistes.

Chemical and behavioral ecology of pestiferous Polistes paper wasps

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