Agricultural Importance of Solitary Potter Wasp Nesting Behavior in Artificial Mason Bee Nests

Presenters/Authors(s)

Erica Edinger, Nellie Heitzman, Roghaiyeh Karimzadeh, Yong-Lak Park

Abstract or Description

Parancistrocerus fulvipes (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) is a solitary potter wasp. Adult P. fulvipes build or repurpose nests from other bees and wasps for their eggs, which are partitioned into cells with mud walls. In West Virginia, artificial nests used commercially for mason bees attract several other insects including P. fulvipes. While the eggs of P. fulvipes are provided with caterpillars for their development and the adult wasps consume nectar, little is known about this wasp’s nesting behavior, particularly about their potential role as a pest or beneficial insect in agriculture. To assess behavior and reproduction, we first collected caterpillars provisioned by P. fulvipes in 21 nest cells at the WVU Organic Farm. Caterpillars were identified to family, and nesting behavior was recorded using videography with RGB and thermal sensors. The average weight and number of caterpillars per nest cell was 122.7 ± 10.1 mg and 20.8 ± 2.8 caterpillars, respectively. Preferences for particular species of caterpillars were not evident, and collected species changed throughout the season, indicating a generalist hunting behavior by P. fulvipes. A majority of the caterpillars belonged to the family Tortricidae, or leaf-roller moths, which are agricultural pests. According to our remote videography, no aggressive behavior was observed between P. fulvipes and bees and wasps utilizing the nesting area, and nesting activities lasted 199 ± 91 seconds. These results suggest that P. fulvipes uses artificial bee nests without negatively affecting pollinator bees and contributes to pollination and the biological control of caterpillars.