Social wasp colonies can be transferred to agroecosystems in order to control pest populations. Some failures of such transfers are common because wasps may abandon the nest immediately after the colony's transfer. Knowing the nesting habits of wasps in agroecosystems could improve the success of colony transfer during wasp management. Thus, we recorded social wasp nests in a eucalyptus plantation in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. In monthly samplings in a eucalyptus plantation throughout the year, colonies of social wasps were recorded, including Apoica pallens (Fabricius, 1804), Mischocyttarus drewseni (Saussure, 1857), Polistes simillimus (Zikán, 1951), Polybia ignobilis (Haliday, 1836), Polybia occidentalis (Olivier, 1791), Polybia platycephala (Richards, 1951), Polybia sericea (Olivier, 1791) and Protopolybia exigua (Saussure 1854) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Each wasp species was found in nests attached to a eucalyptus tree, 0–3 m high above the ground, or on the grass or directly on the ground. This information could be used to improve wasp management to agroecosystems.
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1 December 2012
Social Wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) Nesting in Eucalyptus Plantations in Minas Gerais, Brazil
A. R. De Souza,
D. De F. A. Venâncio,
F. Prezoto,
J. C. Zanuncio
Florida Entomologist
Vol. 95 • No. 4
December 2012
Vol. 95 • No. 4
December 2012
biological control
controle biologico
IPM; Polistinae
MIP; Polistinae
pesticidas
pesticides
Vespidae