Opportunistic Strategies for Capture and Storage of Prey of Two Species of Social Wasps of the Genus Polybia Lepeletier (Vespidae, Polistinae, Epiponini)

Abstract

The foraging activity in social wasps is complex behavior that involves the ability to locate and transport the resources necessary for the colony. The activity is opportunistic and generalist, sometimes adapting to the availability of the resources when the colonies are exposed to critical environmental conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the opportunistic behavior of two species of wasps of the genus Polybia for the capture and storage of prey in the form of flights of winged. Five colonies of Polybia occidentalis (Olivier) and two colonies of Polybia paulista (L.) were collected. Six of them contained stored winged of termites, and one contained winged of ants. The results indicated that these two species practice an opportunistic foraging strategy and are able to store large quantities of protein resources in their colonies.