Central place water collection in a Japanese paper wasp, Polistes Chinensis antennalis

The water collection behaviour of colony foundresses of a Japanese paper wasp, Polistes chinensis antennalis, was recorded. A single round-trip of water collection consists of (1) an outward flight, (2) water-sucking, and (3) a homeward flight. The rate of water intake decreased as the length of water-sucking increased. There was a positive correlation between the duration of the outward flight and that of water-sucking. The variance of time for outward flights was larger than that for homeward flights. The data were consistent with the predictions of the central place foraging model of Orians & Pearson (1979).