Polistes dominula (Christ) European Paper wasp INVASIVE SPECIES in South Africa

(Life: Kingdom: Metazoa (animals); Phylum: Arthropoda; Class: Hexapoda; Order: Hymenoptera; Superfamily: Vespoidea; Family: Vespidae; Subfamily: Polistinae; Genus: Polistes)

Vespa dominula Christ, 1791

Foundress female queens with their new nests constructed in Spring. Newly laid eggs are visible in the bottom of the recently constructed cells. Photographs © Simon van Noort (Iziko Museums of South Africa).





Mature nests at the end of summer. Photographs © Simon van Noort (Iziko Museums of South Africa).


















	Photographs © Simon van Noort (Iziko Museums of South Africa).

	Polistes dominula competing with an indigenous Polistes marginalis wasp for food (Photograph © Karla Haupt).

Distribution

Palaearctic and Oriental regions. Introduced to Australia and New World (Americas in 1981) and accidentally to South Africa in 2008 from either Europe or America (where it was introduced in 1981). First observed in the Kuils River area of Cape Town on 1 February 2008. It is well established in Kuils River, Somerset West, Stellenbosch, Jonkershoek and Paarl areas. 134 nests were counted on the ARC Vredenberg buildings in Stellenbosch during the 2011/2012 season (Mike Allsop pers. comm.). Likely to spread to other areas of South Africa. Has potential to become a serious invasive species. The species is rapidly expanding in population size and distribution in the Stellenbosch, Somerset West and Paarl areas and competes directly with indigenous paper wasp species disrupting natural ecosystem processes. Controlled through destruction of nests.

Biology

Social, constructing exposed communal paper nests, which can reach a much larger size than indigenous paper wasp nests. Foundress female queens construct new nests in spring. The nests expand considerably in size as their daughters are raised and the colony size expands. Larvae are fed on chewed-up, soft-bodied insects such as caterpillars. Adults feed on nectar from flowers.

Control

Wasp reporting tool for Cape Town invasive wasps. Log your sighting to streamline the booking process for a control team.

References

Benadé PC, Veldtman R, Samways MJ & Roets F. 2014. Rapid range expansion of the invasive wasp Polistes dominula (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae) and first record of parasitoids on this species and the native Polistes marginalis in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. African Entomology 22(1): 220-225. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4001/003.022.0104

Eardley, C., Koch, F., Wood, A.R. 2009. Polistes dominulus (Christ, 1791) (Hymenoptera: Polistinae: Vespidae) newly recorded from South Africa : short communication. African Entomology 17: 226-227.

van Noort, S. & Picker, M. 2011. Wasps, Bees, Ants. Class Insecta, Order Hymenoptera. Pp 140-146. In: Picker, M. & Griffiths, C. (eds.) Alien & Invasive Animals. A South African perspective. Struik Nature.

van Zyl C, Addison P, Veldtman R. 2018. The invasive Vespidae in South Africa: potential management strategies and current status. African Entomology 26: 267-285. http://dx.doi.org/10.4001/003.026.0267

Credits

Photographs © Simon van Noort (Iziko Museums of South Africa). Thanks to Mike Allsop (ARC Vredenberg) for his assistance with locating nests.