Dolichovespula saxonica

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Dolichovespula saxonica
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Vespidae
Genus: Dolichovespula
Species:
D. saxonica
Binomial name
Dolichovespula saxonica
(Fabricius, 1793)
Synonyms
  • Dolichovespula kamtschatkensis Eck, 1983
  • Dolichovespula nigrescens Eck, 1983
  • Dolichovespula nipponica Yamane, 1975
  • Vespa bavarica Schrank, 1802
  • Vespa tridens Schenck, 1853
  • Vespula monticola Birula, 1930

Dolichovespula saxonica, also known as the Saxon wasp, is a common social wasp found in the

Palearctic region, specifically in large parts of Europe and in northern and central Asia.[1] Although originally from continental Europe, D. saxonica has since colonised Britain, mainly in the south and east,[2] but has been recorded as far north as East Lothian, Scotland
. Most of their nests are above ground in trees and bushes, but they can also be found in buildings. Due to the proliferation of nests in urban areas and near residential homes, D. saxonica can be a pest for people. As a result, many human interventions are in place to remove Saxon nests. D. saxonica has been found to use chemical signaling in a lot of behaviours, such as alarm calls, fertility cues, and chemical trails.

D. saxonica

Taxonomy and phylogenetics

The Saxon wasp is part of the family

genera constitute the yellowjackets. Many of the species within Dolichovespula choose aerial nest sites, though most illustrate flexibility in nest site locations.[1] This differs from the genus Vespula, whose members often make subterranean nests. Dolichovespula species typically have mature colonies of about a thousand cells with about two thousand adults and a colony cycle that lasts three to five months.[1]

Description and identification

D. saxonica is similar to its yellowjacket relatives with the black and yellow stripes on its body. However, the Saxon wasp is larger than most of its relatives.

ventral side of the thorax.[4] On the other hand, the female has six gastral tergites and sternites and a sting at the end of their gaster.[4]

Male in East Lothian

[5]

D. saxonica is an

fibres from the wood to form a grey coloured nest that can contain yellow lines or patches on the exterior.[4] The external side of the nest is smooth and does not have any ventilation holes. Instead, there is a single opening at the bottom where wasps can enter and exit and where waste can leave the nest.[4]

Distribution and habitat

The Saxon wasp is commonly found in most of Europe and in northern and central Asia. Areas where the species can be commonly found include the United Kingdom (Southern only), the Czech Republic, northern France, the Netherlands and most recently the east of Ireland in 2020.[6] Within these areas, the nests of D. saxonica can be found hanging freely in various forest types, the open countryside, and wooded hills.[7] Since these wasps are aerial nesters, the nests are often hanging on tree branches or shrubs, a couple meters off the ground.[1] Urban areas are also suitable habitats for D. saxonica. As a result, their nests have been found under roofs, porches, park benches, and on the sides of buildings. Despite this flexibility in nesting sites, rarely are subterranean nests found.[1]

Colony cycle

Similar to other wasp species, colonies of D. saxonica build up during the summer time and decline during the winter. Queens are the only ones capable of surviving the winter due to their form of hibernation called

gynes.[1] In early July, the new queens emerge and mate, leading to the end of the colony around mid-August. At the peak of the cycle, there may be a few thousand wasps. This entire cycle is roughly 3 to 4 months long, though the exact timing of events is heavily dependent on weather.[1]
When the temperature drops and winter arrives, the cycle begins again.

Behaviour

Chemical trails for next orientation

The nests of D. saxonica are constructed with only one opening to allow for wasps, resources, and waste to enter and exit the nest. This opening has a thick rim and is located at the bottom of the round-shaped nest.

artificial tunnel system to orient themselves like other wasp species. Rather, D. saxonica foragers utilize chemicals to create a nest odor to orient themselves while flying back to the aerial nest.[1] This odor can come from the materials used in the nest envelope or the other structural components of the nest. D. saxonica foragers can also walk beneath the nest to create a chemical trail to orient themselves within the nest's proximity, though this method is not used often since they do not usually walk while in the vicinity of the nest.[8]

Thermal regulation

Ideally, D. saxonica nests are stable at approximately 84 °F (29 °C).

hazardous to the nest because additional envelopes take up a majority of the volume of the nest and in order to expand the nest, the inner envelopes must first be broken down and new envelopes built on the exterior surface.[9]
Due to the potential dangers of temperature regulation, it becomes advantageous for colonies to locate their nests in urban areas, where the climate is warmer and they are sheltered from the weather.

Communication

Alarm pheromone

There are multiple forms of communication displayed in D. saxonica colonies. One of these forms of is an alarm pheromone produced in the wasps' venom glands.[10] For D. saxonica, the alarm behaviour is believed to ensue in response to sprayed venom or when a wasp stings.[10] This type of alarm is seen in other vespines and acts to bring workers together to increase aggressive and fighting behaviours.[10] This is advantageous to the colony because it allows workers to prevent harm to the nest by attacking a predator collectively. Alarm calls typically only last for a short amount of time, allowing the colony to return to their normal duties in a timely manner.[10]

Fertility cues

Another form of communication found in D. saxonica regards

pheromones that is believed to decrease as the colony matures, thus allowing more workers to reproduce.[11] In addition, the fertility of all D. saxonica individuals – workers, males, and queens – can be determined by their cuticular hydrocarbon cues.[11] Specific cues increase with queen ovary development and decrease with colony maturity and worker reproduction, which supports the timeline of pheromone signal strength from queens.[11]

Kin selection

Worker-queen conflict

Species within the genus Dolichovespula have queens who can mate only once or mate multiply.[3] This small difference can lead to differences in kinship, which is vital in social insects such as D. saxonica. This difference in kinship arises because workers are capable of producing unfertilised, male eggs.[11] Due to this ability, if a queen mates only once, workers are more closely related to the male offspring of other workers than of the queen.[3] Therefore, when a queen only mates once, workers should choose to help rear the offspring of other workers to increase their genetic success. If a queen mates more than once, it is in the worker's best interest to rear the queen's sons. To remedy this worker queen conflict, D. saxonica demonstrates facultative worker policing, where workers inhibit other workers from reproducing – through acts like eating workers’ eggs – so that the queen remains reproductively dominant.[12] This, however, is only in the workers’ best interest if the queen mate multiplied. Worker policing and worker reproduction are also correlated with colony development. Early in the colony cycle, worker policing is high, resulting in low worker reproduction.[12] Once the colony matures, worker policing declines and successful worker reproduction increases.[12] This trend is due to the fact that worker reproduction early on in the colony cycle would deter work force growth and would ultimately hinder worker fitness.[12]

Interaction with other species

Parasites within the genus

cohabit the nest with the D. saxonica queen for about 10 days, which is when the D. adulterina queen kills the host queen.[1] Then, the D. adulterina queen lays her eggs around the beginning of July, which the host's workers look after.[1] The males will then emerge at the end of July, while the gynes will emerge at the beginning of August until the colony declines in the middle of the month.[1] Thus, the colony cycle for the parasitic yellowjacket is about a month shorter than the host's and with fewer offspring.[1]
There might also be fewer offspring because the parasitic queen will often die shortly after laying her eggs in July or earlier if she is injured during conflicts with the host's workers.

Parasites outside the genus

The

cocoon.[14] Despite the fact that S. vesparum is a common parasite of D. saxonica, S. vesparum does not rapidly grow in a host's nest; only a few dozen S. vesparum individuals are typically found within a nest of hundreds of cells.[7]

Disease

The one opening in D. saxonica nests is found at the bottom of the spherically-shaped nest. This single opening serves as the entrance, exit, and waste removal site for the Saxon wasps.

Candida krusei.[13] Although these pathogens and fungi utilize the wasp's detritus, it becomes a problem for people as they can lead to infection, respiratory disease, and allergies.[3] The Saxon wasp nests are found to have less bacteria and fungi when located in natural places as opposed to urban ones. This is thought to be due to workers actively cleaning the combs and cells of such microorganisms by using their venom.[3]

Human importance

Benefits

The Saxon wasp plays a vital role in the ecosystem. Adult Saxon wasps can feed on a variety of things, including the nectar of many plants. Therefore, the species can benefit agriculture when they collect the nectar by unknowingly pollinating many plants. For example, queens pollinate bilberry flowers in the spring, while workers and males pollinate wild angelica, wild parsnip, and hogweed blossom flowers towards the end of summer.[15] Saxon wasps can also decrease populations of insects, such as flies, since the larvae are fed on them. Perhaps more importantly, insects like the Saxon wasp can transport and recycle organic and inorganic matter, such as cadmium, iron, lead, and zinc.[15] This is especially important due to the increasing amounts of environmental pollution due to chemical and industrial industries.

Stings and other dangers

D. saxonica may cause a disturbance to people due to the close proximity of their nests. However, they do not become violent or harmful unless their nest is disrupted or threatened. If an individual senses danger, it can emit an alarm pheromone to its colony, which attracts others and stimulates aggressiveness and flight behaviour.

Common Wasp,[16] and its venom does not activate an allergic reaction very often.[10]

Another danger to humans caused by the Saxon wasp is the potential for disease. As stated above, the collected waste below a nest may cause foul stains on ceilings and walls. Some examples of the potential pathogens include Escherichia coli, which is the pathogen most noted in improperly prepared food; Klebsiella oxytoca, which can cause urinary tract infections; Aspergillus niger, which creates

aflatoxins that can lead to respiratory disease and candidiasis; and Candida krusei, which can cause allergies.[13] As a result, although the Saxon wasps themselves may not be dangerous, the pathogens they attract can be. Luckily, nests can be easily spotted because they are usually built in easily visible locations.[13]

Colonies in cities

Although Saxon nests are almost exclusively found above ground, they are not exclusively found in one type of environment. Saxon colonies are found in nature, such as in forests and wooded hills, but also in urban areas. In fact, urban areas may provide a better environment for colonies to succeed in than natural ones. It has been observed that when colonies are found in urban areas, the colonies are larger in size.

pupae inside of it.[13]
As a result, urban colonies are better protected from natural elements. Urban colonies also have the advantage of larger food resources.

References

  1. ^
    S2CID 84013332
    .
  2. ^ "NBN Gateway - Interactive Map Tool". Archived from the original on 2016-11-04. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
  3. ^
    S2CID 12009153
    .
  4. ^ a b c d e f Allen, G. W., and M. E. Archer. "Dolichovespula Saxonica (Fabricius 1793) (Hym, Vespinae) Found in Britain, with a Key to British Dolichovespula." Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 125 (1989): 103-05. Academia.edu. Web. 11 Oct. 2014. <https://www.academia.edu/2350690/Allen_and_Archer_1989_Dolichovespula_saxonica_Fabricius_1793_Hym_Vespinae_found_in_Britain_with_a_key_to_British_Dolichovespula>.
  5. ^ "Dolichovespula saxonica/norvegica". 2010-07-23.
  6. doi:10.3897/jhr.93.91209. Retrieved 26 December 2022.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  7. ^ a b c d Dvorak, Libor. "On the Nests of The Saxon Wasp (Dolichovespula Saxonica) in the Czech Republic (Hymenoptera; Vespidae)." (2007): n. pag. Academia.edu. Web. 11 Oct. 2014. <https://www.academia.edu/6751986/Dvorak_2007d_On_the_nests_of_The_Saxon_Wasp_Dolichovespula_saxonica_in_the_Czech_Republic_Hymenoptera_Vespidae_>.
  8. S2CID 20171692
    .
  9. ^
    PMID 7104471
    .
  10. ^
    doi:10.1002/mmnd.19840310111
    .
  11. ^
    S2CID 205123231
    .
  12. ^
    S2CID 18426942
    .
  13. ^
    doi:10.33338/ef.9383
    .
  14. ^
    doi:10.1080/03014223.1996.9518060
    .
  15. ^
    S2CID 30471671
    .
  16. ISBN 1-85605-441-1
    .
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dolichovespula_saxonica&oldid=1189319696"