Bionomics of Vespa velutina Lepeletier (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

PurposeVespa velutina Lepeletier is a kind of economic insect and natural enemy insect in Yunnan and other areas, and plays an important role in the agricultural and the development of the wasp industry and the farmers out of poverty. But its biological characteristics are currently lacking in systematic research. In order to better protect and utilize the wasp, we systematically studied the biological characteristics of the wasp.

MethodsUsing the methods of indoor and field, the different stages of the wasp were investigated in detail, we described the biological characteristics of wasps, which related to individual developmental stage, life history, main behavioral habits and natural enemies.

ResultsThe wasp overwintered in the form of a dormant adult, and it comes out the following year at the end of March to early April next. The wasp experiences the four stages of egg, larva, pupa and adult. The egg stage is about 4.8 d, the larval stage is about 10.3 d, and the pupal stage is about 11.1 d. The adult is divided into three types: the queen, the worker and the male. Under natural conditions, the wasps begin to go out at 6:00, reach its peak at 12:00−14:00 and stops at 20:30. The wasp often feeds on insects such as moths, bees and other insects, and occasionally it visits plant flowers, such as Polygonum capitatum, Cyanotis arachoidea, and the juice of fruit. The nest material of this wasp is mostly the fiber of Eucalyptus robusta. The natural enemies of the wasp mainly include the founder queen of V. velutina and V. bicolor, and birds, spiders and ants.

ConclusionIn Yunnan, the occurrence period of wasps is March, which is different from that reported in May and no overwintering phenomenon. Compared with the other wasps in other areas, there are different in the circadian rhythm, colonies transition, and the species of food, plant species and natural enemies in Yunnan. The mating behavior of the female wasp is similar to that reported by others. These differences may be related to the ecological adaptability of the wasp to the Yunnan plateau environments. However, the adaptive mechanisms need further exploration.