Describing the Pollen Content in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Vespa velutina Larvae

Abstract

Vespa velutina is an invasive species that exhibits flexible social behavior, which may have contributed to its introduction in several European countries. It is important to understand its behavior in order to combat the effects of its introduction in different areas. This implies knowing the resources that it uses during its biological cycle. Hornets require protein resources taken from insects and organic matter as well as carbohydrates as an energy source to fly and also to forage for food and nest-building materials. The gastrointestinal tract of adults and larvae contains a wide variety of pollen types. The identification of this pollen in larvae collected from nests could offer information about the plant species that V. velutina visits as a foraging place. The main objective of this research was to study the pollen content in the gastrointestinal tract of larvae. Patterns of pollen content and pollen diversity were established according to the nest type, altitude, season, and location in the nest comb. The abundance of pollen types such as Eucalyptus, Castanea, Foeniculum vulgare, Hedera helix, Taraxacum officinale, Echium, or Cytisus pollen type stands out in many of the samples.