Neotropical Entomology (2006) 35, 707-709
Fábio Prezoto, Helba H. Santos-Prezoto, Vera L.L. Machado and José C. Zanuncio (2006)
Prey captured and used in Polistes versicolor (Olivier) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) nourishment
Neotropical Entomology 35 (5), 707-709
Abstract: The social wasps are predators of many insect species and the study of their preys can reveal the potential of these natural enemies in biological control programs. A total of 240h of collections of preys in 32 nests of Polistes versicolor (Olivier) was carried on in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, from March 2000 to February 2001. The preys captured by P. versicolor were mainly those from the orders Lepidoptera (95.4%) and Coleoptera (1.1%) while 3.4% of them were not identified. Chlosyne lacinia saundersii Doubleday and Hewitson (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) was the most collected prey (13.5%). The total of 4,015 preys was estimated to be captured per colony of P. versicolor during one year. The species can be used in integrated pest management of herbivorous insects, especially defoliating caterpillars.
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Database assignments for author(s): José Cola Zanuncio
Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
general biology - morphology - evolution
