Abstract
This study presents the first observations of early-season colony development of Ropalidia plebeiana in Canberra, Australia. The growth pattern of three R. plebeiana nests was measured during weekly observations from October 2006 to January 2007 and showed that nests steadily increase in size over the early summer to approximately 50 cells when the nest is newly established and to approximately 170 cells when nests from the previous season are re-used. A first generation of adult females is produced by December, and the bimodality of the curves of egg, larval and pupal numbers indicates that these three developmental stages last approximately 2-3 weeks each. The nesting cycle of R. plebeiana in Canberra commences approximately 2 weeks later than in coastal Australia, the shorter summers in this inland region restricting the length of the active season. R. plebeiana did not form dense nesting aggregations in Canberra as described elsewhere, with only small colonies consisting of a single or just a few nests. Characteristic comb-cutting behavior of the species was observed but this did not result in complete nest division as recorded from coastal populations.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 202-207 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Entomological Science |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jun 2009 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Early-season colony development of the paper wasp Ropalidia plebeiana (Hymenoptera : Vespidae) in Canberra, Australia. / Oberprieler, Stefanie K.; Spradbery, J. Philip.
In: Entomological Science, Vol. 12, No. 2, 01.06.2009, p. 202-207.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Early-season colony development of the paper wasp Ropalidia plebeiana (Hymenoptera
T2 - Vespidae) in Canberra, Australia
AU - Oberprieler, Stefanie K.
AU - Spradbery, J. Philip
PY - 2009/6/1
Y1 - 2009/6/1
N2 - This study presents the first observations of early-season colony development of Ropalidia plebeiana in Canberra, Australia. The growth pattern of three R. plebeiana nests was measured during weekly observations from October 2006 to January 2007 and showed that nests steadily increase in size over the early summer to approximately 50 cells when the nest is newly established and to approximately 170 cells when nests from the previous season are re-used. A first generation of adult females is produced by December, and the bimodality of the curves of egg, larval and pupal numbers indicates that these three developmental stages last approximately 2-3 weeks each. The nesting cycle of R. plebeiana in Canberra commences approximately 2 weeks later than in coastal Australia, the shorter summers in this inland region restricting the length of the active season. R. plebeiana did not form dense nesting aggregations in Canberra as described elsewhere, with only small colonies consisting of a single or just a few nests. Characteristic comb-cutting behavior of the species was observed but this did not result in complete nest division as recorded from coastal populations.
AB - This study presents the first observations of early-season colony development of Ropalidia plebeiana in Canberra, Australia. The growth pattern of three R. plebeiana nests was measured during weekly observations from October 2006 to January 2007 and showed that nests steadily increase in size over the early summer to approximately 50 cells when the nest is newly established and to approximately 170 cells when nests from the previous season are re-used. A first generation of adult females is produced by December, and the bimodality of the curves of egg, larval and pupal numbers indicates that these three developmental stages last approximately 2-3 weeks each. The nesting cycle of R. plebeiana in Canberra commences approximately 2 weeks later than in coastal Australia, the shorter summers in this inland region restricting the length of the active season. R. plebeiana did not form dense nesting aggregations in Canberra as described elsewhere, with only small colonies consisting of a single or just a few nests. Characteristic comb-cutting behavior of the species was observed but this did not result in complete nest division as recorded from coastal populations.
KW - Cell maps
KW - Comb-cutting
KW - Growth curves
KW - Nesting behavior
KW - Seasonal cycle
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=67949085079&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1479-8298.2009.00317.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1479-8298.2009.00317.x
M3 - Article
VL - 12
SP - 202
EP - 207
JO - Entomological Science
JF - Entomological Science
SN - 1343-8786
IS - 2
ER -