A METHOD OF CAPTURING COLONIES OF AERIAL NESTING VESPID WASPS (HYMENOPTERA: VESPIDAE)

1983 ◽  
Vol 115 (4) ◽  
pp. 351-355
Author(s):  
M. J. Pallett ◽  
R. C. Plowright ◽  
D. L. Gibo
Keyword(s):  
Colony Development ◽  
Foraging Activity ◽  
Tunnel System ◽  
Adult Wasp ◽  
New Location

AbstractA method was developed for the transfer of intact medium-sized Dolichovespula arenaria colonies from their original locations, without damage to the nest and with minimal narcosis of the adult wasp population. The method necessitates a substantial manipulation early in the course of colony development, after which the nest is left to develop normally in situ until it is sufficiently populous to permit tranfer to a new location without intolerable loss of adult insects. We describe also a system for housing vespid colonies following relocation, together with a one-way tunnel system which has proved efficient for the purpose of collecting data on foraging activity.

Heterogeneous Currents and Algal Resources Mediate in situ Foraging Activity of a Mobile Stream Grazer

Oikos ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 465 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. LeRoy Poff ◽  
J. V. Ward
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Activity

scholarly journals Effect of thiamethoxam on foraging activity and mortality of Apis mellifera (L.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gouri Shankar Giri ◽  
Babita Bhatt ◽  
Pramod Mall ◽  
Renu Pandey
Keyword(s):  
Apis Mellifera ◽  
Young Adult ◽  
Field Condition ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Foraging Activity ◽  
Selective Toxicity ◽  
Beneficial Insects ◽  
Sublethal Doses

Thiamethoxam, a neonicotinoid commonly used for its high selective toxicity to insects, is one of the most commonly used pesticides. However, its effect on beneficial insects such as the honeybee Apis mellifera L is still controversial. As young adult workers perform out-hive duties that are crucial for colony development and survival, the effect of sublethal doses of thiamethoxam on honeybee foraging activity and mortality was assessed. Thiamethoxam had a negative impact on foraging activity and cause mortality of honey bees for a period of three to four days following the spraying in field condition.

A Coupled FE-TLE Model for the Prediction of Subway Train-Induced Ground-Borne Vibrations

2012 ◽  
Vol 256-259 ◽  
pp. 1221-1225
Author(s):  
He Sheng Tang ◽  
Jie Wang ◽  
Jia Wu Shi
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element ◽  
Thin Layer ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Dynamic Interaction ◽  
Tunnel Structure ◽  
Layered Soils ◽  
In Situ Experiments ◽  
Subway Train ◽  
Tunnel System

A coupled finite element–thin layer element (FE-TLE) model for the prediction of subway induced vibrations was developed. With this model, the soil-tunnel system is divided into two parts, i.e., the tunnel structure and layered soil with a tunnel type hole. The tunnel structure is simulated by finite elements and the layered soils with hole by thin layer elements. The model fully accounts for the dynamic interaction between the tunnel and the soil. The numerical models for train-induced ground-borne vibrations were validated by in-situ experiments.

scholarly journals Polistes versicolor (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), an Introduced Wasp in the Galapagos Islands: Its Life Cycle and Ecological Impact

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 1480-1491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine E Parent ◽  
Stewart B Peck ◽  
Charlotte E Causton ◽  
Lázaro Roque-Albelo ◽  
Philip J Lester ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Paper Wasp ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Insect Prey ◽  
Galapagos Archipelago ◽  
Lepidopteran Larvae ◽  
Adult Wasp

Abstract The yellow paper wasp, Polistes versicolor (Olivier) was first recorded in the Galapagos archipelago in 1988. Its life cycle and ecological impacts were studied on two islands 11 yr after it was first discovered. This invasive wasp adapted quickly and was found in most environments. Colony counts and adult wasp monitoring showed a strong preference for drier habitats. Nest activities were seasonally synchronized, nest building followed the rains in the hot season (typically January–May), when insect prey increases, and peaked as temperature and rains started to decline. Next, the number of adult wasps peaked during the cool season when there is barely any rain in the drier zones. In Galapagos, almost half of the prey loads of P. versicolor were lepidopteran larvae, but wasps also carried spiders, beetles, and flies back to the colonies. An estimated average of 329 mg of fresh insect prey was consumed per day for an average colony of 120–150 wasp larvae. The wasps preyed upon native and introduced insects, but likely also affect insectivorous vertebrates as competitors for food. Wasps may also compete with native pollinators as they regularly visited flowers to collect nectar, and have been recorded visiting at least 93 plant species in Galapagos, including 66 endemic and native plants. Colonies were attacked by a predatory moth, Taygete sphecophila (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Autostichidae), but colony development was not arrested. High wasp numbers also affect the activities of residents and tourists. A management program for this invasive species in the archipelago is essential.

scholarly journals Selective biodegradation of keratin matrix in feather rachis reveals classic bioengineering

2009 ◽  
Vol 277 (1685) ◽  
pp. 1161-1168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theagarten Lingham-Soliar ◽  
Richard H. C. Bonser ◽  
James Wesley-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Close Association ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Elastic Recoil ◽  
Keratin Filaments ◽  
Microbial Biodegradation ◽  
Major Structural Component ◽  
First Time ◽  
Fibre Matrix ◽  
New Location

Flight necessitates that the feather rachis is extremely tough and light. Yet, the crucial filamentous hierarchy of the rachis is unknown—study hindered by the tight chemical bonding between the filaments and matrix. We used novel microbial biodegradation to delineate the fibres of the rachidial cortex in situ . It revealed the thickest keratin filaments known to date (factor >10), approximately 6 µm thick, extending predominantly axially but with a small outer circumferential component. Near-periodic thickened nodes of the fibres are staggered with those in adjacent fibres in two- and three-dimensional planes, creating a fibre–matrix texture with high attributes for crack stopping and resistance to transverse cutting. Close association of the fibre layer with the underlying ‘spongy’ medulloid pith indicates the potential for higher buckling loads and greater elastic recoil. Strikingly, the fibres are similar in dimensions and form to the free filaments of the feather vane and plumulaceous and embryonic down, the syncitial barbules, but, identified for the first time in 140+ years of study in a new location—as a major structural component of the rachis. Early in feather evolution, syncitial barbules were consolidated in a robust central rachis, definitively characterizing the avian lineage of keratin.

Plasticity of transposed rhombomeres: Hox gene induction is correlated with phenotypic modifications

Development ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 121 (9) ◽  
pp. 2707-2721 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Grapin-Botton ◽  
M.A. Bonnin ◽  
L.A. McNaughton ◽  
R. Krumlauf ◽  
N.M. Le Douarin
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Neural Tube ◽  
Hox Genes ◽  
Gene Expression Pattern ◽  
Fate Map ◽  
Hox Gene ◽  
Inductive Signal ◽  
New Location ◽  
Chick And Quail Embryos

In this study we have analysed the expression of Hoxb-4, Hoxb-1, Hoxa-3, Hoxb-3, Hoxa-4 and Hoxd-4 in the neural tube of chick and quail embryos after rhombomere (r) heterotopic transplantations within the rhombencephalic area. Grafting experiments were carried out at the 5-somite stage, i.e. before rhombomere boundaries are visible. They were preceeded by the establishment of the precise fate map of the rhombencephalon in order to determine the presumptive territory corresponding to each rhombomere. When a rhombomere is transplanted from a caudal to a more rostral position it expresses the same set of Hox genes as in situ. By contrast in many cases, if rhombomeres are transplanted from rostral to caudal their Hox gene expression pattern is modified. They express genes normally activated at the new location of the explant, as evidenced by unilateral grafting. This induction occurs whether transplantation is carried out before or after rhombomere boundary formation. Moreover, the fate of the cells of caudally transplanted rhombomeres is modified: the rhombencephalic nuclei in the graft develop according to the new location as shown for an r5/6 to r8 transplantation. Transplantation of 5 consecutive rhombomeres (i.e. r2 to r6), to the r8 level leads to the induction of Hoxb-4 in the two posteriormost rhombomeres but not in r2,3,4. Transplantations to more caudal regions (posterior to somite 3) result in some cases in the induction of Hoxb-4 in the whole transplant. Neither the mesoderm lateral to the graft nor the notochord is responsible for the induction. Thus, the inductive signal emanates from the neural tube itself, suggesting that planar signalling and predominance of posterior properties are involved in the patterning of the neural primordium.

scholarly journals Comparison of buckwheat, red clover, and purple tansy as potential surrogate plants for use in semi-field pesticide risk assessments withBombus impatiens

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela E. Gradish ◽  
G. Christopher Cutler ◽  
Andrew J. Frewin ◽  
Cynthia D. Scott-Dupree
Keyword(s):  
Trifolium Pratense ◽  
Insect Pest ◽  
Red Clover ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Growth Characteristics ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Colony Development ◽  
Foraging Activity ◽  
Plant Type

Background.Bumble bees (Bombusspp.) are important wild and managed pollinators. There is increased interest in incorporating data on bumble bees into risk assessments for pesticides, but standardized methods for assessing hazards of pesticides in semi-field and field settings have not yet been established for bumble bees. During semi-field studies, colonies are caged with pesticide-treated flowering surrogate plants, which must be attractive to foragers to ensure colony exposure to the test compound, and must produce an ample nectar and pollen to sustain colonies during testing. However, it is not known which plant(s) are suitable for use in semi-field studies with bumble bees.Materials and Methods.We comparedB. impatiensforaging activity and colony development on small plots of flowering buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum, var. common), red clover (Trifolium pratense), and purple tansy (Phacelia tanacetifolia) under semi-field conditions to assess their suitability as surrogate plants for pesticide risk assessment studies with bumble bees. We also compared the growth characteristics and input requirements of each plant type.Results.All three plant types generally established and grew well. Red clover and purple tansy experienced significant weed pressure and/or insect pest damage. In contrast, pest pressure was extremely low in buckwheat. Overall,B. impatiensforaging activity was significantly greater on buckwheat plots than red clover or purple tansy, but plant type had no effect on number of individuals produced per colony or colony weight.Discussion.Because of the consistently high foraging activity and successful colony development observed on buckwheat plots, combined with its favourable growth characteristics and low maintenance requirements, we recommend buckwheat as a surrogate plant for use in semi-field pesticide toxicity assessments withB. impatiens.

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