Social Wasps on Eugenia uniflora Linnaeus (Myrtaceae) Plants in the Urban Area of Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) of the subfamily Polistinae, being biological pest control agents, can effectively participate in ongoing efforts to limit the use of chemical agents used in combating insect pests in urban forestry. The objective of the study, conducted in Viçosa, Minas Gerais S...

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Main Authors: Gabriely Köerich Souza, Tiago Georg Pikart, Gabriel Castro Jacques, Ancidértion Antonio Castro, Marcos Magalhães De Souza, José Eduardo Serrão, José Cola Zanuncio
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana 2013-06-01
Series:Sociobiology
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Online Access:https://www.periodicos.uefs.br/index.php/sociobiology/article/view/29
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author Gabriely Köerich Souza
Tiago Georg Pikart
Gabriel Castro Jacques
Ancidértion Antonio Castro
Marcos Magalhães De Souza
José Eduardo Serrão
José Cola Zanuncio
author_facet Gabriely Köerich Souza
Tiago Georg Pikart
Gabriel Castro Jacques
Ancidértion Antonio Castro
Marcos Magalhães De Souza
José Eduardo Serrão
José Cola Zanuncio
author_sort Gabriely Köerich Souza
collection DOAJ
description Social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) of the subfamily Polistinae, being biological pest control agents, can effectively participate in ongoing efforts to limit the use of chemical agents used in combating insect pests in urban forestry. The objective of the study, conducted in Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, in May 2011, was aimed at identifying species of this group foraging on Eugenia uniflora Linnaeus (Myrtaceae) plants. The study area was monitored once a week, even as data on social wasps foraging on plants of E. uniflora were collected. The data collected included study of their daily activity pattern, diversity, dominance and overlap of temporal niches relating to species of this group. Data analysis revealed that E. uniflora plants were visited by 217 individuals of 16 species of the subfamily Polistinae. Foraging behavior of social wasps bore no relationship with sampling time, but overlap of temporal niche was high. It was observed that the species of social wasps did not damage healthy fruits, but they were probably searching for Lonchaeidae and Tephritidae larvae. It is important to preserve the diversity of these predators, since they are potentially important as a partial alternative to environmentally degrading chemical pesticides currently used in urban forestry for pest control.
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spelling doaj-art-da9383120a744f0a91c92a8b46cb391d2025-08-20T02:04:28ZengUniversidade Estadual de Feira de SantanaSociobiology0361-65252447-80672013-06-01602Social Wasps on Eugenia uniflora Linnaeus (Myrtaceae) Plants in the Urban Area of Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, BrazilGabriely Köerich Souza0Tiago Georg Pikart1Gabriel Castro Jacques2Ancidértion Antonio Castro3Marcos Magalhães De Souza4José Eduardo Serrão5José Cola Zanuncio6Departamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de ViçosaDepartamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de ViçosaDepartamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de ViçosaDepartamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de ViçosaInstituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Sul de Minas GeraisDepartamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de ViçosaDepartamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de ViçosaSocial wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) of the subfamily Polistinae, being biological pest control agents, can effectively participate in ongoing efforts to limit the use of chemical agents used in combating insect pests in urban forestry. The objective of the study, conducted in Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, in May 2011, was aimed at identifying species of this group foraging on Eugenia uniflora Linnaeus (Myrtaceae) plants. The study area was monitored once a week, even as data on social wasps foraging on plants of E. uniflora were collected. The data collected included study of their daily activity pattern, diversity, dominance and overlap of temporal niches relating to species of this group. Data analysis revealed that E. uniflora plants were visited by 217 individuals of 16 species of the subfamily Polistinae. Foraging behavior of social wasps bore no relationship with sampling time, but overlap of temporal niche was high. It was observed that the species of social wasps did not damage healthy fruits, but they were probably searching for Lonchaeidae and Tephritidae larvae. It is important to preserve the diversity of these predators, since they are potentially important as a partial alternative to environmentally degrading chemical pesticides currently used in urban forestry for pest control.https://www.periodicos.uefs.br/index.php/sociobiology/article/view/29biological controldiversityPolistinaeurban forestryVespidae
spellingShingle Gabriely Köerich Souza
Tiago Georg Pikart
Gabriel Castro Jacques
Ancidértion Antonio Castro
Marcos Magalhães De Souza
José Eduardo Serrão
José Cola Zanuncio
Social Wasps on Eugenia uniflora Linnaeus (Myrtaceae) Plants in the Urban Area of Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil
Sociobiology
biological control
diversity
Polistinae
urban forestry
Vespidae
title Social Wasps on Eugenia uniflora Linnaeus (Myrtaceae) Plants in the Urban Area of Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil
title_full Social Wasps on Eugenia uniflora Linnaeus (Myrtaceae) Plants in the Urban Area of Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil
title_fullStr Social Wasps on Eugenia uniflora Linnaeus (Myrtaceae) Plants in the Urban Area of Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil
title_full_unstemmed Social Wasps on Eugenia uniflora Linnaeus (Myrtaceae) Plants in the Urban Area of Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil
title_short Social Wasps on Eugenia uniflora Linnaeus (Myrtaceae) Plants in the Urban Area of Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil
title_sort social wasps on eugenia uniflora linnaeus myrtaceae plants in the urban area of vicosa minas gerais state brazil
topic biological control
diversity
Polistinae
urban forestry
Vespidae
url https://www.periodicos.uefs.br/index.php/sociobiology/article/view/29
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