Effects of nest paper hydrocarbons on nest and nestmate recognition in colonies of Polistes metricus Say

The role of nest paper hydrocarbons in nest and nestmate recognition for the social wasp Polistes metricus was examined. Newly emerged P. metricus workers maintained in the laboratory spent four days alone on a fragment of nest paper that was subjected to one of the following treatments: untreated, extracted with hexane to remove surface hydrocarbons, or extracted with extract reapplied. Test wasps were returned to their natal nest with nestmates and observed for 1 h. Time spent on nest by test wasp and its behaviors were recorded. Wasps exposed to untreated and reapplied nest fragments spent an average of 34.13 and 31.75 min on their nests, respectively, while wasps from extracted fragments averaged 17.19 min. Behavior of wasps exposed to extracted paper differed significantly from wasps exposed to paper with hydrocarbons. These results suggest that exposure to nest paper hydrocarbons is important for both nest and nestmate recognition.