Causes of Polistes dominula (Christ, 1791) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) colony mortality in urban areas of the south-western Iberian Peninsula
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3989/graellsia.2020.v76.261Keywords:
Polistes dominula, Hymenoptera, Vespidae, nest mortality, urban areas, Iberian PeninsulaAbstract
From 2017 to 2018 we studied populations of the eusocial paper wasp Polistes dominula (Christ, 1791) in three municipalities of the south-western Iberian Peninsula, in order to identify the causes of colony mortality. The results showed that the first main cause of mortality in the study area was human activity (43.55 %). The second most important cause was abandonment of the nest (20.19 %). Only 82 of the 411 nests (19.95 %) showed signs of natural colony decline, following the emergence of reproductives.
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