Toxic Relationships: Polistes Wasps and their Parasites in Georgia's Coastal Plains
Faculty Mentor
Jennifer Zettler
Location
Savannah Ballroom
Type of Research
On-going
Session Format
Poster Presentation
College
College of Science & Mathematics
Department
Biology
Abstract
Ashley Mosby
Toxic Relationships: Polistes wasps and their Parasites in Georgia’s Coastal Plain.
Paper wasps provide ecosystem services by enhancing plant pollination and serving as biological control agents of agricultural pests. In addition, they are versatile members of the food web as predators, prey, and even act as hosts for a myriad of parasites and parasitoids. Preliminary surveys from around Georgia’s Coastal Plains have shown that at least five insect parasites infest wasp nests. This includes three different moths, Chalcoela pegasalis, C. iphitalis, and Galleria mellonella; one wasp, Elasmus polistes; and a twisted-winged insect, Xenos peckii. Within the nests, moth caterpillars act as brood parasites by consuming wasp larvae and pupae, whereas E. polistis primarily targets the pupal stages. Only X. peckii serves as an endoparasite that feeds within the abdomens of adult paper wasps. The goal of our research is to determine the prevalence of these parasites in nests of the wasps Polistes exclamens and P. metricus. In addition, we want to determine if nests with at least one type of parasite are more likely to have other parasitic species. Starting in the fall of 2025 we collected both active and abandoned nests from both P. exclamans and P. metricus and dissected them. Our research is ongoing, but results of parasite diversity will be reported.
Program Description
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Start Date
4-21-2026 10:00 AM
End Date
4-21-2026 12:00 PM
Recommended Citation
Mosby, Ashley L.; Pham, Dolan; and Hudson, Brianna, "Toxic Relationships: Polistes Wasps and their Parasites in Georgia's Coastal Plains" (2026). GS4 Student Scholars Symposium. 35.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/research_symposium/2026A/2026A/35
Toxic Relationships: Polistes Wasps and their Parasites in Georgia's Coastal Plains
Savannah Ballroom
Ashley Mosby
Toxic Relationships: Polistes wasps and their Parasites in Georgia’s Coastal Plain.
Paper wasps provide ecosystem services by enhancing plant pollination and serving as biological control agents of agricultural pests. In addition, they are versatile members of the food web as predators, prey, and even act as hosts for a myriad of parasites and parasitoids. Preliminary surveys from around Georgia’s Coastal Plains have shown that at least five insect parasites infest wasp nests. This includes three different moths, Chalcoela pegasalis, C. iphitalis, and Galleria mellonella; one wasp, Elasmus polistes; and a twisted-winged insect, Xenos peckii. Within the nests, moth caterpillars act as brood parasites by consuming wasp larvae and pupae, whereas E. polistis primarily targets the pupal stages. Only X. peckii serves as an endoparasite that feeds within the abdomens of adult paper wasps. The goal of our research is to determine the prevalence of these parasites in nests of the wasps Polistes exclamens and P. metricus. In addition, we want to determine if nests with at least one type of parasite are more likely to have other parasitic species. Starting in the fall of 2025 we collected both active and abandoned nests from both P. exclamans and P. metricus and dissected them. Our research is ongoing, but results of parasite diversity will be reported.
