If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen! Notes on the influence of temperature on the nesting of social wasps

Abstract

For social wasps, the selection of the nesting substrate represents the success or failure of the colony, and temperature is a determining factor for this selection. With the increase in global temperature due to climate change, it is essential to understand how temperature actually interferes in the selection of the foundation site of social wasp colonies. Here, we describe a curious nestfounding strategy on a rocky outcrop in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Social wasps selected the lighter areas of the outcrop where they had greater success in developing their colonies. These lighter areas absorb less heat and had a lower average temperature when compared to darker areas.

Keywords

• climate change
• polistinae
• thermoregulation
• vespidae