Surveys preys captured by nocturnal neotropical social wasps Apoica pallens (Fabricius, 1804)

Abstract

Social wasps are recognized for their important role in pest control, which occurs during foraging. Thus, work on the foraging behavior of these insects is essential. The objective of this study was, therefore, analyzed as prey captured and the rhythm of this activity in the swarm wasp Apoica pallens, thus defined to expand the knowledge of the predated species by this wasp, as well as to understand its potential contribution as a pest control agent. Three colonies were selected, from which the number of exits and returns of foragers, temperature and relative humidity were recorded. Some were intercepted during the return to the colony to collect prey. Finally, to analyze the carrying capacity, 40 prey and 40 wasps were randomly selected and the size and body mass of each was measured. It was possible to determine that the A. pallens activity period was 10h with a peak in the early hours of the night. Regarding abiotic factors, it was possible to observe that the increase in temperature was accompanied by greater activity of the wasps. Of the prey, 96.5% were represented by Lepidoptera caterpillars, 2.6% by Orthoptera and 0.9% were represented by a Diptera, which was the only whole registered prey. Regarding the carrying capacity, A. pallens is less efficient than diurnal swarming species. From the results obtained, it is clear that as A. pallens complement the prey capture work carried out by other groups of wasps during the day maximizing biological control.