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School of Biological Sciences

Publication abstract

DEVELOPMENT OF THE EMBRYO NEST OF VESPA-AFFINIS (HYMENOPTERA, VESPIDAE) IN SOUTHERN JAPAN

Authors: Martin, SJ.,

Year of publication:1992

Journal: Insectes Sociaux, , Volume: 39(1), Pages: 45-57.

Publisher: Birkhauser Verlag Ag

The aerial nests of Vespa affinis on Ishigaki Island, Japan, were found mainly within 1 m of the ground, attached to a twig roughly 4 mm in diameter. These are probably adaptations to survive adverse weather conditions. The favoured nesting habitat was in open farmland areas rather than in the natural forest. The entire envelope and more than half of the comb of the embryo nest is constructed during the first 10-12 days. The first workers emerge around 34 days after nest initiation. The duration of larval development was found to be linked to the number of larvae present in the nest, with the earlier progeny developing faster. The changes in the ovarian index of the mother queen during the early stages of nesting are described.