Thermoregulation on nest in Polistes dominula

Thermoregulation is important for many large bodied insect species, particularly for social insects, many of which maintain controlled nest temperatures as well. In Polistes, individuals control their temperature during flight and maintain slightly elevated temperatures in hibernation clusters. While individual Polistes have been demonstrated to thermoregulate, it is not clear whether they maintain elevated temperatures on the nest, or whether they elevate their temperatures for specific behaviors other than flight. We monitored Polistes dominula nests using thermal imaging, before and after being presented with an artificial threat. We found that, on cool days, certain individuals frequently maintained elevated temperatures on the nest. During agitation, these individuals, and sometimes others also elevated their temperature in response to the threat. This suggests that thermoregulation is important for nest defense in this species, and also that thermoregulation may be important to functions on the nest besides flight.