Polyethism in an Oriental Hornet (<i>Vespa orientalis</i>) Colony

Volynchik, Stanislav; Plotkin, Marian; Bergman, David J.; Ishay, Jacob S.

doi:https://doi.org/10.3814/2009/243436

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Research Article | Open Access

Volume 2009 | Article ID 243436 | https://doi.org/10.3814/2009/243436

Polyethism in an Oriental Hornet (Vespa orientalis) Colony

Stanislav Volynchik,¹Marian Plotkin,¹David J. Bergman,²and Jacob S. Ishay¹

Received03 Dec 2008

Revised11 Jan 2009

Accepted08 Feb 2009

Published03 Mar 2009

Abstract

The present study describes the daily activities of the Oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis) workers older than 48 hours as observed in an Artificial Breeding Box (ABB) in our laboratory at the peak of the active season. These workers were picked randomly from a population of a single nest that was enabled to free egress into the field. The study points to the existence of polyethism in the nest of V. orientalis with the adult worker hornets, separating them into three groups in accordance with the frequency and nature of their exits from the nest, and the tasks which they perform. This polyethism was not age-dependent. Recordings were made of the following vespine activities: the frequency of exits to the field during various hours of the day and the various roles undertaken by the hornets. Also investigated was the assignment of tasks among the hornets and the preference given to some tasks over others. The general organization of traffic and other movements in the colony is discussed.

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Copyright

Copyright © 2009 Stanislav Volynchik et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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