The search for a biological control agent to control invasive Polistes dominula wasps in the Western Cape region, South Africa

• Main Author: Mhlongwe, Thobeka Rita
• Other Authors: Jacobs, Karin, Veldtman, Ruan, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Science. Dept. of Microbiology.
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2019
• Subjects: Biological control of insects > South Africa > Western Cape; Polistes dominula > Biological control; Biological pest control agents; Entomopathogenic fungi; UCTD; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/103858

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2018. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Polistes dominula (Christ) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae), also known as the European paper wasp is globally notorious as a highly invasive wasp, and invaded and established itself in five continents, with the exception of the Antarctica. Polistes dominula had a negative impact in invaded regions, where it has been reported to displace native wasp species by exclusive competition. The first record of P. dominula in South Africa was in 2008 in the Western Cape Province. Since then, it has expanded its range to more areas in the Western Cape. However, there have been no reports of this invader in other provinces in South Africa. Globally, there have been many methods used in the attempt to control invasive wasps. These methods include mechanical control, which involves the physical removal and destruction of nests, chemical control, which is the use of chemical pesticides, and biological control, which involves the use of a living organism to control the population of another. It has been found that mechanical control is labour intensive and chemical control is not environmentally friendly. This leaves biological control to be the best potential control strategy for the wasp. Research has been carried out to find natural pathogens of invasive wasps and there are many potential control agents that could be used. These include entomopathogenic nematodes, entomopathogenic fungi, viruses, bacteria and parasitoids. These biocontrol agents tend to be host specific, and there has been no biological control agent developed against P. dominula. In this study the fungi associated with P. dominula were isolated from the nests of wasps and identified. Most of the fungi isolated from the nest material were saprophytic fungi that are commonly found in soils and on plant material, with a few known to be pathogenic to plants and insects. The pathogenicity of selected fungi was tested against P. dominula second instar larvae and it was confirmed that, among the ...