Abstract
WASPS are another extraordinarily diverse assemblage of insects. They may be parasitic or social, microscopic or surprisingly large. There are “fairy-flies” (mymarids) 0.2 mm in length and the Trichogramma (Chalcidae), which are small enough for 70 to grow to maturity within a single butterfly egg. At the other end of the size range is the pompilid spider wasp (Pepsis sp.), with a 15 cm wingspread and an 8 cm body that can subdue large tarantulas. There are tens of thousands of graceful, colorful, and agile ichneumon wasps, all of them solitary parasites of other insects. Other kinds of wasps, such as the vespids, have highly evolved social systems.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Chapman, R. N., C. E. Mickel, J. R. Parker, G. E. Miller, and E. G. Kelly. 1926. Studies on the ecology of sand dune insects. Ecology 7:416–426.
Evans, H. E., F. E. Kurczewski, amd J. Alcock. 1980. Observations on the nesting behaviour of seven species of Crabro (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae). J. Nat. Hist. 14:865–882.
Gibo, D. L., A. Temporale, T. P. Lamarre, B. M. Soutar, and H. E. Dew. 1977. Thermoregulation in colonies of Vespula arenaria and Vespula maculata (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). III. Heat production in queen nests. Can. Entomol. 109: 615–620.
Heinrich, B. 1984. Strategies of thermoregulation and foraging in two vespid wasps, Dolichovespula maculata and Vespula vulgaris. J. Comp. Physiol. B154:175–180.
Heinrich, B., and M. Heinrich. 1983. Size and caste in temperature regulation in bumblebees. Physiol. Zool. 56:552–562.
Ishay, J. 1973. Thennoregulation by social wasps in behavior and pheromones. Trans. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 35:147–462.
Larsson, F. K. 1989a. Insect mating patterns explained by microclimatic variables. J. Therm. Biol. 14:155–157.
Larsson, F. K. 1989b. Temperature-induced alternative male mating tactics in a tropical digger wasp. J. Insect Behay. 2:849–852.
Larsson, F. K., and J. Tengo. 1989. The effects of temperature and body size on the mating pattern of a gregariously nesting bee, Colletes cunicularis (Hymenoptera: Colletidae). Ecol. Entomol. 14:279–286.
Makino, S., and S. Yamane 1980. Heat production by the foundress of Vespa simillima, with description of its embryo nest (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Insecta Matsumurana 19:89–101.
Mickel, C. E. 1928. Biological and Taxonomic Investigations on the Mutillid Wasps. Bulletin 143, Smithsonian Institution, U.S. National Museum.
O’Neill, K. M., and R. P. O’Neill. 1988. Thermal stress and microhabitat selection in territorial males of the digger wasp Philanthus psyche (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae). J. Therm. Biol. 13:15–20.
Stabentheiner, A., and S. Schmaranzer. 1987. Thermographic determination of body temperatures in honey bees and hornets: Calibration and applications. Thermology 2:563–572.
Steiner, A. 1930. Die Temperaturregulierung im Nest der Feldwespe (Polistes gallica var. biglumis L.). Z. Vergl. Physiol. 11:461–502.
Teräs, I. 1978. The activity of social wasps (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) at low temperatures. Ann. Entomol. Fenn. 44:101–104.
Weyrauch, W. 1936. Das Verhalten sozialer Wespen bei Nestüberhitzung. Z. Vergl. Physiol. 23:51–63.
Willmer, P. G. 1985a. Thermal ecology, size effects, and the origins of communal behaviour in Cerceris wasps. Behay. Ecol. Sociobiol. 17:151–160.
Willmer, P. G. 1985b. Size effects of the hygrothermal balance and foraging pattern of a sphecid wasp, Cerceris arenaria. Ecol. Entomol. 10:469–479.
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1993 Bernd Heinrich
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Heinrich, B. (1993). Wasps and the Heat of Battle. In: The Hot-Blooded Insects. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-10340-1_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-10340-1_11
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-662-10342-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-10340-1
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive