Effect of starvation of larvae of vespula vulgaris (L.) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) on subsequent survival and adult size

Abstract

Variation in larval insect diet can influence later survival, adult size, and reproductive competitiveness, and has been proposed as a factor regulating the population dynamics of wasps (Vespula spp.). Larvae of V. vulgaris were starved to determine the influence of starvation on survival and adult size. Larvae pupated up to 16 days after starvation began. Those pupating after 6 days had lower survival rates than non-starved larvae. As the length of time to pupation increased, the size of emerging adults decreased. Although apparently morphologically normal, newly emerged, starved adults were only 56% of the weight of non-starved wasps. Variation in size caused by experimental starvation is similar in magnitude to that recorded in natural populations. © The Royal Society of New Zealand 1995.