Nest recognition in neighboring colonies: a comparison of two European species of Polistes wasps (P. dominulus and P. nimphus, Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

The ability of two species of Polistes wasps to distinguish their own from nearby nests was tested, following the procedure used by Espelie et al. Our experiments demonstrated that, in the laboratory, females of Polistes dominulus and Polistes nimphus preferentially selected their own nests rather than nearby nests. We also evaluated the role of odor cues in nest recognition by washing nests in hexane to remove the apolar solvent-soluble components of nest odor. Although P. nimphus females continued to discriminate nests even after washing, P. dominulus individuals failed to discriminate between their own and a foreign neighboring nest. In both species, wasps were able to recognize their own nests when nest extracts were subsequently reapplied to the nest surface. These results indicate that P. dominulus wasps recognize their nests through perception of nest odor. The ability of P. nimphus wasps to distinguish their own nests even after presumed removal of the nest odor is discussed. Received: January 27, 2000 / Accepted: May 22, 2000