Comparison of three liquid lures for trapping social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Two citrus-based sodas and a known wasp attractant were compared in a field trial to assess their attractiveness to local nuisance wasp species. The wasps captured included Vespula germanica (F.), Vespula maculifrons (Buysson), Vespula vulgaris (L.), Vespula flavopilosa Jacobson, Vespula squamosa (Drury), Dolichovespula maculata (L.), Polistes fuscatus (L.), Polistes metricus Say, and Polistes dominulus (Christ). Wasps in the genus Vespula were present in significantly higher numbers in traps than Dolichovespula and Polistes. Both citrus soda products were superior to the isobutanol-acetic acid mixture as attractants for almost all of the wasp species.     

Volatile Emissions from an Epiphytic Fungus are Semiochemicals for Eusocial Wasps

Microbes are ubiquitous on plant surfaces. However, interactions between epiphytic microbes and arthropods are rarely considered as a factor that affects arthropod behaviors. Here, volatile emissions from an epiphytic fungus were investigated as semiochemical attractants for two eusocial wasps. The fungus Aureobasidium pullulans was isolated from apples, and the volatile compounds emitted by fungal colonies were quantified. The attractiveness of fungal colonies and fungal volatiles to social wasps (Vespula spp.) were experimentally tested in the field. Three important findings emerged: (1) traps baited with A. pullulans caught 2750?% more wasps on average than unbaited control traps; (2) the major headspace volatiles emitted by A. pullulans were 2-methyl-1-butanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, and 2-phenylethyl alcohol; and (3) a synthetic blend of fungal volatiles attracted 4,933?% more wasps on average than unbaited controls. Wasps were most attracted to 2-methyl-1-butanol. The primary wasp species attracted to fungal volatiles were the western yellowjacket (Vespula pensylvanica) and the German yellowjacket (V. germanica), and both species externally vectored A. pullulans. This is the first study to link microbial volatile emissions with eusocial wasp behaviors, and these experiments indicate that volatile compounds emitted by an epiphytic fungus can be responsible for wasp attraction. This work implicates epiphytic microbes as important components in the community ecology of some eusocial hymenopterans, and fungal emissions may signal suitable nutrient sources to foraging wasps. Our experiments are suggestive of a potential symbiosis, but additional studies are needed to determine if eusocial wasp–fungal associations are widespread, and whether these associations are incidental, facultative, or obligate.     

Resource choice of social wasps: influence of presence, size and species of resident wasps

Summary: The role of visual cues provided by resident wasps on resource choice by yellowjacket and paper wasp foragers was investigated. Large spring queen yellowjackets and small early season yellowjacket foragers (Vespula germanica, Vespula maculifrons, and Vespula vidua) were extracted in hexane to remove odors and posed as though feeding at petri dish feeders bearing daisy-like flower models, equipped with microcapillary feeding tubes, and containing 1:3 honey:water solution. An array of five feeders was presented to foragers at a suburban and a woodland site in Saratoga Springs, New York. The visual cues provided by resident wasps influenced resource choice by approaching social wasp foragers. Vespula germanica, an introduced yellowjacket species that tends to dominate at rich resources, was the only wasp visiting the suburban feeders. Foragers of this species preferentially fed on feeders and flowers with posed wasps and fed most often next to large wasps. Polistes fuscatus foragers at the woodland site similarly preferred to feed on occupied feeders and flowers. Vespula maculifrons and V. consobrina preferentially visited unoccupied feeders. Individual V. maculifrons, V. consobrina and V. vidua foragers that landed on occupied feeders all preferentially visited unoccupied flowers on those feeders. Vespula vidua and V. flavopilosa foragers did not demonstrate a feeder preference based on the presence/absence of posed wasps. Vespula consobrina foragers that visited occupied feeders preferred those occupied by extracted V. maculifrons queens and workers; no other wasps showed species based landing preferences.     

New chemical attractants for trapping Lacanobia subjuncta, Mamestra configurata, and Xestia c-nigrum (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Significant numbers of 3 pest species of noctuid moths were captured in traps baited with acetic acid, 3-methyl-1-butanol, and 3-methyl-1-pentanol. These were Lacanobia subjuncta (Grote & Robinson); Mamestra configurata Walker, bertha armyworm; and Xestia c-nigrum (L.), spotted cutworm. The combination of acetic acid and 3-methyl-1-butanol was superior to the individual chemicals in attracting all 3 species, whereas the combination of acetic acid and 3-methyl-1-pentanol was superior to the individual chemicals in attracting X. c-nigrum. For the 3 species of moths, numbers captured were similar in traps baited with the combination of acetic acid and 3-methyl-1-butanol or acetic acid and 3-methyl-1-pentanol. Traps baited with these attractants captured both males and females at a ratio near 1:1.     

Storage proteins in vespid wasps: characterization,developmental pattern,and occurrence in adults

Wasps of family Vespidae contain three types of major proteins that have the size, amino acid composition, subunit composition, immunological reactivity, and pattern of occurrence characteristic of storage proteins. The three types of storage protein, which have been identified in other Hymenoptera, are very high density lipoprotein, high glutamine/glutamic acid protein, and hexamerin. The predominant pattern of occurrence for these proteins is as known from most or all Holometabola: synthesis during the last larval instar and utilization as an amino acid source during metamorphosis. Hexamerin also occurred in a large young adult female Monobia quadridens but not a small one, which suggests that carry-over into adult females is a reaction norm response to quantity of larval provisions, because these wasps could not have fed as adults. In two paper wasp species of the genus Polistes, hexamerin was present in large adult females which emerged during the colony cycle phase when reproductive females are typically produced, but not in adult female offspring that emerged earlier in the colony cycle or in adult females that were workers. It cannot be confirmed by these data that the hexamerin in the adult paper wasps represented carry-over from metamorphosis rather than post-emergence feeding, but the pattern of occurrence suggests that presence of storage protein may play a role in caste differentiation in paper wasps. No storage protein was found in any adult Vespula maculifrons, a yellowjacket wasp, suggesting that caste differentiation in vespine wasps does not incorporate storage protein as a component.     

The structure of temperate yellowjacket communities is affected by land development and loss of forest cover

1. As anthropogenic disturbance continues to encroach on natural areas, it is imperative to establish how this disturbance affects species assemblages. Yellowjackets are important predators of a wide range of arthropods, acting as natural population control in many ecosystems. This study seeks to explore how Vespinae community structure shifts with increasing land development in a temperate North American environment.
2. Yellowjackets were sampled from May to September 2019 using heptyl butyrate and acetic acid plus isobutanol traps. Sampling sites represented a gradient of developed landscapes, from fully forested to entirely developed. Seven species from the genera Dolichovespula and Vespula were trapped during the study.
3. Yellowjacket community structure was found to be significantly affected by the amount of land development. These results were driven by the replacement of Vespula consobrina with Vespula germanica in urban landscapes. A high level of development, greater than 75%, reduced species abundance relative to the fully forested landscapes, primarily due to the loss of Vespula pensylvanica and V. consobrina.
4. Our results highlight that the replacement of forested areas with urban development causes a shift in yellowjacket community composition, favouring generalist scavengers (e.g. V. germanica) and threatening the abundance of forest specialists such as V. consobrina.

     

Abundance of wasps and prey consumption of paper wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae : Polistinae) in Northland, New Zealand

Polistine and vespine wasps were captured in Malaise traps in two fire-modified shrubland habitats of varying canopy height and composition at Lake Ohia, Northland, New Zealand. Prey consumption rates were calculated for the Asian paper wasp (Polistes chinensis antennalis) occupying these two areas of shrubland and a home garden in Whangarei, Northland. The sites were systematically searched for nests and wasp prey determined by intercepting foragers returning to nests. The Asian paper wasp predominated in the Malaise trap samples from the low- growing habitat while the German wasp (Vespula germanica) was more common in the taller vegetation type. The Asian paper wasp was more abundant than the German wasp in the samples in February and early March. Only four Australian paper wasps (Polistes humilis) and no common wasps (Vespula vulgaris) were caught. Asian paper wasps collected an estimated 15 000 prey loads per ha per season from one of the shrubland areas, and 478 000 prey loads per ha per season from the second area. These convert to estimates of 31 and 957 g per ha per season of invertebrate biomass removed by paper wasps from each habitat, respectively. The estimate for the garden site was 79 g per ha per season. Wasp nest densities varied between 20 and 210 nests per hectare. The biomass estimates are similar to average figures calculated for vespine wasps in scrubland and pasture. Both Asian paper wasps and Australian paper wasps preyed mainly on lepidopteran larvae. The cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae) was the most commonly collected species. Noctuid species were also well represented. Both male and female Asian paper wasps collected nectar in late March and early April.     

Preparation of reminiscent aroma mixture of Japanese soy sauce

To prepare an aroma mixture of Japanese soy sauce by fewest components, the aroma concentrate of good sensory attributes was prepared by polyethylene membrane extraction, which could extract only the volatiles with diethyl ether. GC-MS-Olfactometry was done with the aroma concentrate, and 28 odor-active compounds were detected. Application of aroma extract dilution analysis to the separated fraction revealed high flavor dilution factors with respect to acetic acid, 4-hydroxy-2(or5)-ethyl-5(or2)-methyl-3(2H)-furanone (HEMF), 3-methyl-1-butanol (isoamyl alcohol), and 3-(methylsulfanyl)propanal (methional). A model aroma mixture containing above four odorants showed a good similarity with the aroma of the soy sauce itself. Consequently, the reminiscent aroma mixture of soy sauce was prepared in water. The ratio of acetic acid, HEMF, isoamyl alcohol, and methional was 2500:300:100:1.     

Studies on the production of branched-chain alcohols in engineered Ralstonia eutropha

Wild-type Ralstonia eutropha H16 produces polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) as an intracellular carbon storage material during nutrient stress in the presence of excess carbon. In this study, the excess carbon was redirected in engineered strains from PHB storage to the production of isobutanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol (branched-chain higher alcohols). These branched-chain higher alcohols can directly substitute for fossil-based fuels and be employed within the current infrastructure. Various mutant strains of R. eutropha with isobutyraldehyde dehydrogenase activity, in combination with the overexpression of plasmid-borne, native branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis pathway genes and the overexpression of heterologous ketoisovalerate decarboxylase gene, were employed for the biosynthesis of isobutanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol. Production of these branched-chain alcohols was initiated during nitrogen or phosphorus limitation in the engineered R. eutropha. One mutant strain not only produced over 180?mg/L branched-chain alcohols in flask culture, but also was significantly more tolerant of isobutanol toxicity than wild-type R. eutropha. After the elimination of genes encoding three potential carbon sinks (ilvE, bkdAB, and aceE), the production titer improved to 270?mg/L isobutanol and 40?mg/L 3-methyl-1-butanol. Semicontinuous flask cultivation was utilized to minimize the toxicity caused by isobutanol while supplying cells with sufficient nutrients. Under this semicontinuous flask cultivation, the R. eutropha mutant grew and produced more than 14?g/L branched-chain alcohols over the duration of 50?days. These results demonstrate that R. eutropha carbon flux can be redirected from PHB to branched-chain alcohols and that engineered R. eutropha can be cultivated over prolonged periods of time for product biosynthesis.     

The N-glycans of yellow jacket venom hyaluronidases and the protein sequence of its major isoform in Vespula vulgaris

Hyaluronidase (E.C. 3.2.1.35), one of the three major allergens of yellow jacket venom, is a glycoprotein of 45 kDa that is largely responsible for the cross-reactivity of wasp and bee venoms with sera of allergic patients. The asparagine-linked carbohydrate often appears to constitute the common IgE-binding determinant. Using a combination of MALDI MS and HPLC of 2-aminopyridine-labelled glycans, we found core-difucosylated paucimannosidic glycans to be the major species in the 43-45 kDa band of Vespula vulgaris and also in the corresponding bands of venoms from five other wasp species (V. germanica, V. maculifrons, V. pensylvanica, V. flavopilosa and V. squamosa). Concomitant peptide mapping of the V. vulgaris 43 kDa band identified the known hyaluronidase, Ves v 2 (SwissProt P49370), but only as a minor component. De novo sequencing by tandem MS revealed the predominating peptides to resemble a different, yet homologous, sequence. cDNA cloning retrieved a sequence with 58 and 59% homology to the previously known isoform and to the Dolichovespula maculata and Polistes annularis hyaluronidases. Close homologues of this new, putative hyaluronidase b (Ves v 2b) were also the major isoform in the other wasp venoms.     

Combined effect of ENSO and SAM on the population dynamics of the invasive yellowjacket wasp in central Chile

The population dynamics of the yellowjacket wasp (Vespula germanica Fabricus) in central Chile were analyzed for the first time. Using a simple Ricker logistic model and adding the effects of local weather variables (temperature and precipitation) and large-scale climate phenomena as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Southern Annular Mode (SAM), we modeled the interannual fluctuations in nest density. The best model according to the Bayesian information criterion (BIC) included 1-year-lag negative feedback combined with the positive additive effects of ENSO and SAM. According to this model, yellowjacket nest density was favored by warm and dry winters, which probably influenced the survival of overwintering queens. Large-scale climatic variables [Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) and SAM] described the effect of exogenous factors in wasp fluctuations better than local weather variables did. Our results emphasize the usefulness of climate indices and simple theoretical-based models in insect ecological research.     

Distribution of social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in New Zealand in 1987

Abstract

More than 50 000 social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) were collected between March and August 1987 from throughout New Zealand. The most widespread species is the German wasp (Vespula germanica). The common wasp (V. vulgaris) has colonised about half the country and appears to be still spreading. It tends to appear in urban areas first, presumably because it is transported there with people and/or their belongings. The Asian paper wasp (Polistes chinensis) and Australian paper wasp (P. humilis), are confined to the northern half of the North Island, but the former species is spreading south.     

Enantiomeric analysis of terfenadine in rat plasma by HPLC.

Enantiomeric pairs of the antihistaminic drug terfenadine and its carboxylic acid derivative were directly separated by HPLC using an ovomucoid protein column. Absolute configurations of terfenadine enantiomers were assigned by comparing their circular dichroism spectra with those of 1-phenyl-1-butanol enantiomers of known absolute stereochemistry. Terfenadine and its major carboxylic acid metabolite extracted from blood plasma following an oral administration of a racemic terfenadine to rats were found to be enriched in the (S)- and (R)-enantiomers, respectively. The results indicated that the (R)-enantiomer of an orally administered racemic terfenadine was preferentially oxidized in rats to form a carboxylic acid metabolite enriched in the (R)-enantiomer.     

Expressions of recombinant venom allergen, antigen 5 of yellowjacket (Vespula vulgaris) and paper wasp (Polistes annularis), in bacteria or yeast.

Antigen 5 is a major allergen of vespid venom. It has partial sequence identity with proteins from diverse sources. The biologic function of Ag 5 and its related proteins is not known. We are interested in the expression of Ag 5 with the native conformation of the natural protein since its B cell epitopes are mainly of the discontinuous type. When expressed in bacteria, recombinant Ag 5 formed an insoluble intracellular product, and it did not translocate from cytoplasm to periplasm by the addition of a pelB leader sequence to the cloned protein. When expressed in yeast Pichia pastoris, Ag 5 was secreted because the cloned protein contained a yeast alpha signal leader sequence. Recombinant Ag 5 from yeast was shown to have the native structure of the natural protein and the recombinant Ag 5 from bacteria did not. This was shown by comparison of their solubility, electrophoretic behavior, disulfide bond content, CD spectrum, and binding of IgE antibodies from allergic patients and IgG antibodies from mice immunized with natural Ag 5 or recombinant Ag 5s from yeast or bacteria. These studies were made with Ag 5s from yellowjacket (Vespula vulgaris) and paper wasp (Polistes annularis).     

A comparative study on hypertrehalosaemic hormones in the Hymenoptera: sequence determination, physiological actions and biological significance

A new hypertrehalosaemic peptide (Tea-HrTH; pQLNFSTGWGG-NH(2)) was isolated from the corpora cardiaca (CC) of the sawfly Tenthredo arcuata. The hypertrehalosaemic peptides found in the CC of five Bombus species and the paper wasp Polistes fuscata were identical to the adipokinetic hormone II of the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria (Scg-AKH-II). The hypertrehalosaemic peptides found in the yellowjacket Vespula vulgaris and the hornet Vespa crabro were identical to the adipokinetic hormone of the cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus (Grb-AKH).All species examined had a large storage crop which, when filled with honey, held up to one-third of their total body weight. Overwintering queens of P. fuscata had large stores of carbohydrates and lipids in the abdomen, and were able to survive months of fasting. Workers of Bombus hortorum (bumble-bee), Apis mellifera (honey-bee) and V. vulgaris had little or no fat body. These species could fly as long as sugar was present in their crops, but they stopped flying as the carbohydrates in the crop disappeared. There was no significant increase in the haemolymph carbohydrate titres after injections of CC extracts or corresponding synthetic peptides into workers of B. hortorum or into males and females of T. arcuata. There was a moderate increase in haemolymph carbohydrate titres when these peptides were injected into overwintering queens of P. fuscata and into workers of V. crabro, both with significant amounts of fat body. However, well-fed V. vulgaris workers, with very little fat body, also responded to their own hypertrehalosaemic peptide.     

CLONING AND COMPARISON OF THE GENES ENCODING PREPROAPAMIN FROM THE VENOM OF 2 HONEYBEE AND 4 WASP SPECIES

Abstract Preproapamin genes were amplified by RT-PCR from total RNA from the venom glands of 2 honeybee species, Apis mellifera, A. cerana cerana , and 4 wasp species, Vespa magnifica, V. velutina nigrothorax and Polistes hebraeus , respectively. Their PCR products were ligated into pGEM^® -T easy vector and the nucleotide sequences analyzed. The six fragments were all 141 bp in length and contained an ORF coding the precursor of apamin. The apamin precursors of V. magnifica, V. velutina nigrothorax and P. hebraeus had 95% and 93% similarity with that of A. melliera in nucleotide and amino acid sequences, respectively. That of Vespula maculifrons was identical to that of A. mellifera in nucleotide and amino acid sequences. Apamin precursors of V. magnifica, P. hebraeus and V. velutina nigrothorax also had the same nucleotide sequences. The nucleotide sequences of preproapamin genes from the Chinese honeybee, A. cerana cerana and 4 wasp species are described for the first time. A notable discovery was that the wasps species had exactly same apamins as the honeybees despite the fact they belong to different insect families.     

Partial cytochrome b sequences for six Hymenoptera of the eastern United States

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes have been commonly used to determine honeybee subspecies relationships. To see if these markers would also be useful for comparisons of other Hymenoptera, we collected workers of six local species: Vespa crabro, the European hornet; Bombus impatiens, a bumblebee; Vespula germanica, the German yellow jacket; Polistes fuscatus, a paper wasp; Halictus ligatus, an alkali bee; and an unspecified Megachile, a leafcutting bee. MtDNA was isolated and digested with six endonucleases (AvaI, BglII, EcoRI, HindIII, HinfI, XbaI). The digested DNA was electrophoresed and visualized on agarose gels with comparison to a standard fragment marker and similarly treated honeybee mtDNA. The fragments obtained were also purified and sequenced. Phylogenetic relationships between six wasp and bee species, Apis mellifera, and several other similar aculeate Hymenoptera were determined. Newly defined DNA sequences were posted to GenBank (AF281169-AF281174).     

Expressions of Recombinant Venom Allergen, Antigen 5 of Yellowjacket (Vespula vulgaris) and Paper Wasp (Polistes annularis), in Bacteria or Yeast

Antigen 5 is a major allergen of vespid venom. It has partial sequence identity with proteins from diverse sources. The biologic function of Ag 5 and its related proteins is not known. We are interested in the expression of Ag 5 with the native conformation of the natural protein since its B cell epitopes are mainly of the discontinuous type. When expressed in bacteria, recombinant Ag 5 formed an insoluble intracellular product, and it did not translocate from cytoplasm to periplasm by the addition of a pelB leader sequence to the cloned protein. When expressed in yeast Pichia pastoris, Ag 5 was secreted because the cloned protein contained a yeast α signal leader sequence. Recombinant Ag 5 from yeast was shown to have the native structure of the natural protein and the recombinant Ag 5 from bacteria did not. This was shown by comparison of their solubility, electrophoretic behavior, disulfide bond content, CD spectrum, and binding of IgE antibodies from allergic patients and IgG antibodies from mice immunized with natural Ag 5 or recombinant Ag 5s from yeast or bacteria. These studies were made with Ag 5s from yellowjacket (Vespula vulgaris) and paper wasp (Polistes annularis).