On the Cover
2008; Elsevier BV; Volume: 100; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/s1081-1206(10)60587-x
ISSN1534-4436
Autores Tópico(s)Insect and Pesticide Research
ResumoThe bald-faced hornet, Dolichovespula maculata, is a North American native so named because of primarily black coloring but prominently white face. It is called a hornet because of its aerial nest and large size (>15 mm), but is truly a yellow jacket, the largest endemic yellow jacket in North America. 1 Grissell EE, Fasula TR. Yellow jackets and hornets Vespula and Dolichovespula spp. (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Vespidae). EENY-081 Florida Cooperative Extension Service, 2007. http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu. Google Scholar , 2 Bartlett T, Thomas T. BugGuide: Species Dolichovespula maculata—BaldfacedHornet. Iowa State University Entomology, 2005. http://bugguide.net. Google Scholar , 3 Kosmeier D. Bald-faced hornet/White-faced hornet guêpe à taches blanches Dolichovespula maculata (Linnaeus, 1763). 2006. http://www.muenster.org/hornissenschutz/baldfaced/baldfaced.htm Google Scholar Its range is throughout North America from southern Canada, with the exception of the drier Great Plains and western states, being most prevalent in the southeastern states. On the west coast, it is found from Alaska to southern California. D. maculata is common in both wooded and urban areas. Only the queens overwinter, finding protection in tree hollows or the ground. In late April or May the queen emerges and will start a new nest in trees, bushes, low vegetation, or on buildings. A small smooth carton of paper is made from loose bark strips and saliva, with eggs laid within it. After the first batch of workers are nurtured and mature, they assume responsibility for foraging and enlarging the nest, which may reach large football size, sometimes over three feet. The nest comprises of layers or combs of circular platforms. The outer carton shell is very thin. The exit hole is on a side close to the inferior tip. Such a colony may contain 400-700 workers. These workers forage for caterpillars and assorted insects—even including other vespids—as well as nectar to feed larvae. Males develop in late summer from unfertilized eggs. In distinction to Vespula species, where all males come from the eggs of the queen, 20% of D. maculata males are products of female worker reproduction. 4 Foster KR Ratnieks FL Gyllenstrand N Thorén PA Colony kin structure and male production in Dolichovespula wasps. Mol Ecol. 2001; 10: 1003-1010 Crossref PubMed Scopus (64) Google Scholar Males and workers have different white markings on their abdominal segments.
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