Newly-founded colonies of swarm-founding wasps experience a pre-emergence period during which no new workers eclose. Colonies during this period face a dilemma: increased foraging results in increased productivity, but reduced worker survivorship. Losing too many workers may compromise the ability of colonies to raise the next cohort of larvae and defend the nest from predators. What determines how much effort a colony allocates to foraging? We measured foraging rates 14, 21, and 28 days following initiation of a new nest by colonies of the swarm-founding wasp, Polybia occidentalis. On d. 28 we collected colonies, dissected individuals, and recorded nest contents. On all 3 days, foraging rate correlated strongly with the estimated number of larvae in the nest, suggesting foraging rate is primarily demand-driven. The number of larvae on d.14, d.21, d.28 and dry weight of brood on d. 28 in turn correlated strongly with the number of cells built in the first stages of nest construction. This suggests that when colonies construct new nests, they determine the number of larvae the colony will raise, and therefore colony foraging rates, by how many cells they construct.
Species 1: Hymenoptera Vespidae Polybia occidentalis
Keywords: social wasps, foraging
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