Flight distance and return capacity of Polistes Ianio Ianio Hymenoptera: Vespidaey workers

Social wasps find prey mainly using olfactory cues when foraging. Flight area and the ability to return to the nest after this activity was studied for the predatory wasp Polistes Ianio Ianio (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) using mark-recapture techniques. One hundred workers of this wasp were removed from 20 nests (5 per nest), marked on the mesothorax, and released after 2 d. Wasps were released at different times and distances to reduce memorization of the flight path. We determined that P. Ianio Ianio workers' hypothetical foraging area was 13.2 km(2) based on their greatest return capacity to nests.