Invasion of the Moths: Insight into Trends of Parasites within Paper Wasp Nests
Faculty Mentor
Jennifer Zettler
Location
Savannah Ballroom
Type of Research
On-going
Session Format
Poster Presentation
College
College of Science & Mathematics
Department
Biology
Abstract
Paper wasps are social insects that build umbrella-shaped nests constructed from wood fibers. Despite their reputation for being aggressive defenders of their nests, some species within the genus Polistes are more susceptible to parasitic invasion than others. Nests found on the Armstrong campus of Georgia Southern University are often infested with caterpillars (Chalcoela spp.) that are thought to prey on developing Polistes brood. These caterpillars spin cocoons within the cells of active wasp nests. Determining relationships between Polistes nest size and the abundance and distribution of parasitic moths are our main objectives within this research. Preliminary observations show that nest size is inversely related to the number of moth-occupied cells, with smaller nests having a greater proportion of parasitized cells. Photographs of nests were imported into FIJI, an image processing and data analysis program. With FIJI, we analyzed the dimensions of infested wasp nests by calculating area and determining the number of parasitized and non-parasitized cells. We used these numbers to create a ratio to show us how nest size relates to level of infestation, and how this varies between species of Polistes. Our research is ongoing and we anticipate determining if nest size and wasp behavior can make some species more susceptible to parasitic invasion.
Program Description
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Start Date
4-21-2026 10:00 AM
End Date
4-21-2026 12:00 PM
Recommended Citation
Hudson, Brianna, "Invasion of the Moths: Insight into Trends of Parasites within Paper Wasp Nests" (2026). GS4 Student Scholars Symposium. 31.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/research_symposium/2026A/2026A/31
Invasion of the Moths: Insight into Trends of Parasites within Paper Wasp Nests
Savannah Ballroom
Paper wasps are social insects that build umbrella-shaped nests constructed from wood fibers. Despite their reputation for being aggressive defenders of their nests, some species within the genus Polistes are more susceptible to parasitic invasion than others. Nests found on the Armstrong campus of Georgia Southern University are often infested with caterpillars (Chalcoela spp.) that are thought to prey on developing Polistes brood. These caterpillars spin cocoons within the cells of active wasp nests. Determining relationships between Polistes nest size and the abundance and distribution of parasitic moths are our main objectives within this research. Preliminary observations show that nest size is inversely related to the number of moth-occupied cells, with smaller nests having a greater proportion of parasitized cells. Photographs of nests were imported into FIJI, an image processing and data analysis program. With FIJI, we analyzed the dimensions of infested wasp nests by calculating area and determining the number of parasitized and non-parasitized cells. We used these numbers to create a ratio to show us how nest size relates to level of infestation, and how this varies between species of Polistes. Our research is ongoing and we anticipate determining if nest size and wasp behavior can make some species more susceptible to parasitic invasion.
