Brood care by males of Polistes major (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

• Published in: Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society Vol. 59; no. 1; pp. 183 - 185
• Main Author: Cameron, S.A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Manhattan, KS Kansas Entomological Society 01-01-1986
• Subjects: Animal ethology; Animal nesting; Biological and medical sciences; Brood care; Caterpillars; COMPORTEMENT ALIMENTAIRE; COSTA RICA; FEEDING HABITS; Female animals; Food; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; HABITOS ALIMENTARIOS; HYMENOPTERA; Insect larvae; Insect nests; LARVAE; LARVAS; LARVE; Male animals; Protozoa. Invertebrata; Pupae; Short Communications; Vespidae; Costa Rica; Parental behavior; Arthropoda; Insecta; Male; Brood care; Invertebrata; Hymenoptera; Social insect
• ISSN: 0022-8567; 1937-2353

Larval feeding by male social wasps has been observed casually by a number of investigators, usually during the course of studying female behavior on the nest. The best description of larval feeding by male Polistes is that of Hunt and Noonan (1979) who, for three Polistes nests (P. fuscatus and P. metricus ), report malaxation times and the mean number of larvae fed by males. Males of five Polistes species have been observed feeding larvae, P. dubius, P. fuscatus, P. gallicus, P. metricus and P. snelleni . Here the author describes such behavior by males of a sixth species, P. major , in Costa Rica.