Diversity of social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae) in an agricultural environment in Bambuí, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

Studies on the diversity of social wasps in agricultural environments represent an important step to identify ideal species to be used in biological pest control programs. There is a growing effort to recognize the diversity of these insects, but information on anthropized environments is still rare. This study focused on obtaining data on the diversity of social wasps in a predominantly agricultural area in Bambuí, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and identifying, through dominance, species with potential use in biological control studies. Sampling was conducted from July 2012 to July 2014 with two type of wasps' capture methods: attractive traps and active search. This research confirms that a well diversified environment, even if anthropized, is rich in social wasp species. In addition, the great number of collected species shows the importance of a long-term survey and the use of more than one method of capture. The high rate of collections of Polistes versicolor in a predominantly agricultural environment, coupled with other studies on this species as a predator of lepidopteran caterpillars, suggests the use of this species as a tool in biological control of pests.