Divisão de trabalho em colônias da vespa social neotropical Polistes canadensis canadensis Linnaeus (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

Abstract

Using "scanning sample"methods for qualifying and quantifying behavioral acts of queens and workers belonging to fifteen colonies of Polistes canadensis canadensis, one hundred hours of observation were performed. A behavioral repertoire with twenty-eight acts was described, in which queens perform nineteen acts in the colony, while workers perform twenty-six, and seventeen common acts between the two castes occur. Among those acts, two were exclusive to queen's repertoire and nine to worker's. Chi-square test pointed significant differences between the repertoires of the two castes, where the queens remain longer in the nest and perform the intra-nidal tasks, related to the reproduction, while the workers perform more frequently tasks related to the maintenance of the colonies, such as the foraging, which demands higher risks and high energetic costs.