Waspy Pulp nonFiction #1 Orientation Flight キボシアシナガバチ女王：定位飛行

I found a foundress queen of the paper wasp (Polistes nipponensis) in the family Vespidae underneath the leaf of reed (Phragmites australis). She had just started building her majesty's empire. When my camera approached the nest for the first time, she stood on the leaf with an alerted posture. After a little while, she began to clean herself in a relaxed mood. Finally, she showed the orientation flight to memorize the nest surroundings shortly after the take-off for outing. Late-May 2008 in Japan.

Waspy Pulp nonFiction
*part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOczitn6pEQ
part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xeb9JIVaZo8
part 3: http://youtube.com/watch?v=fYNOUYuqXwA
part 4: http://youtube.com/watch?v=od2UAukNSV0
part 5: http://youtube.com/watch?v=oIpm7ijlD-Q
part 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-HHw-90Vhc
part 7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4fD6CZWF7c
to be continued.

アシ／ヨシの葉裏に棘状の物を見つけて近寄るとキボシアシナガバチの女王が巣を作り始めたところでした。慌てた様子で葉の表に回りしばらくこちらを警戒している様子。やが­てカメラに慣れ、リラックスして身繕いしました。最後に外出（離巣）直後の定位飛行（扇状に飛んで巣の位置を記憶する）を披露してくれました。

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• paper
• wasp
• queen
• nest
• groom
• orientation
• flight
• fly
• キボシアシナガバチ
• アシナガバチ
• 女王蜂
• 初期巣
• 定位飛行
• 身繕い
• 警戒

[sigma1920]

thx for watching and lots of nice comments!

even after the orientation flights, they are not good at remembering the nest made in the artificial environment such as under the eaves.

i am gonna make a vid of that interesting story of other Polistes species, later.

[maculifrons]

Nice i too have seen wasps do this orientation flight many times but have never captured it on video

[sigma1920]

and according to a book on japanese paper wasps (of other common species), there exists a pecking order among colony members.

(queen > 1st born worker > 2nd elder worker > ... )

i would like to observe their social life, too.

[sigma1920]

very good question.

i like ur curiosity, scientific doubt and logical mind! :)

yes, from behaviours and the witnessed season.

only new queens can survive the harsh winter every year.

i have yet to tell a queen from workers from appearances.

i am planning to paint a mark on her majesty's back as a way of individualization.

[maarakailet1]

How did you know she was a queen, just from behavior?