Overview

It is a great privilege and pleasure for me to write the foreword to this book, which is the result of considerable effort on the part of Dr. Makoto Matsuura and Mr. Seiki Yamane. Such an introduction might sound like a cliche, but in this case the sentiments are real, since the preparation of this book really has been a laborious task. In fact, I think it would not be an exaggeration to say that such a book could only be published once every 100 years. I would like to explain why I regard this book as unique. It is well known that as social insects ""hachi"" (as bees and wasps are called in Japanese), as well as ants and termites, have a very diffe­ rent way of life from that of other insects. Each of these three groups has its own characteristics. Ants and hachi are classified in the same category; in other words, an ant is sim­ ply a wasp which has lost its wings and its sting, and has adapted itself to an underground life. Termites, on the other hand, are an aberrant cockroach, descended from a phyletic line which is completely diffe­ rent from that of ants and hachi, which undergo complete metamor­ phosis. On the other hand, ants and termites have a common feature: all members have adopted a social life.

Full Product Details

Author:   Makoto Matsuura ,  Shoichi F. Sakagami ,  Seiki Yamane
Publisher:   Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. KG
Imprint:   Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. K
Edition:   Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1990
Dimensions:   Width: 15.50cm , Height: 1.80cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.522kg
ISBN:  

9783642752322

ISBN 10:   3642752322
Pages:   323
Publication Date:   13 December 2011
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

1. The Vespinae in Insect Sociology.- 1 Historical Review.- 2 The Vespine Wasps as Social Insects.- 2. Life Cycle.- 1 Features of the Life Cycle.- 2 Behavior of Queens Before Nest Foundation.- 3 Nesting Periods.- 4 Hibernating Habits.- 3. Nesting Habits.- 1 Nesting Materials.- 2 Nest Sites.- 3 Colony Foundation.- 4 Architecture and Function of Embryo Nests.- 5 Development and Structure of Nest.- 6 Nest Relocation.- 7 Repair.- 4. Social Structure and Behavior.- 1 Division of Labor Between Queen and Workers.- 2 Relation Between Labor and Age in Worker.- 3 Oviposition by Workers.- 4 Behavior of Larvae.- 5 Trophallaxis Between Larvae and Adults.- 6 Daily Activity of Workers.- 5. Foraging Behavior.- 1 Food Sources and Feeding Habits.- 2 Dependence of Vespa tropica on Polistine Wasps.- 3 Group Predation by Vespa mandarinia.- 4 Foraging Distance.- 5 Intra- and Interspecific Relationships at Tree Sap Apertures.- 6. Population Dynamics.- 1 Survivorship Curves of Workers.- 2 Seasonal Changes in Population Structure.- 3 Production of Reproductives.- 4 Sympatry and Mechanism of Coexistence in Five Vespa Species.- 5 Survivorship of Colonies and Factors Influencing Mortality.- 6 Annual Fluctuations in Number of Colonies.- 7. Life of Wasps in the Tropics.- 1 Life Cycle Characteristics.- 2 Ecological Characteristics of Nocturnal Wasps Provespa.- 8. Social Parasitism.- 1 Vespine Social Parasites.- 2 Social Parasitism as an Adaptive Strategy.- 9. Natural Enemies.- 1 Main Natural Enemies.- 2 Effect of Stylopization by Xenos spp.- 10. Phylogeny and Classification.- 1 Characters Used.- 2 Phylogenetic Position of the Vespinae.- 3 Phylogeny of the Vespinae.- 4 List of the World’s Vespinae.- 11. Distribution and Phylogeny.- 1 Distribution Pattern.- 2 Similarity of Fauna in Eurasia and NorthAmerica.- 12. The Vespines and Man.- 1 Vespine Wasps as Nuisance Pests.- 2 The Wasp as Enemy of the Honeybee.- 3 The Wasp as Fruit Pest.- 4 The Wasp as Beneficial Insect.- 5 Control.- 13. The Japanese Species.- 1 Identification.- 2 The Japanese Vespinae.- 3 Distribution in Japan.- References.- Author Index.- Taxonomic Index.

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