Female Spider Wasps, Anoplius splendens Driesbach (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), Learn to Associate the Odor of Host Feces With the Presence of the Host
Laboratory studies were conducted to determine whether or not adult female wasps, Anoplius splendens (Dreisbach), can learn a chemical stimulus (host feces) associated with host microhabitats. In a two-choice, static-air olfactometer, wasps previously exposed to hosts only in association with one stimulus (filter paper conditioned with odors from feces of the host spider, Drassodes auriculoides Barrows) exhibited a greater tendency to visit exclusively, and spend more time in, chambers containing a source of that stimulus as compared to control wasps exposed to paper with no host odors. The capacity for learning olfactory cues based on previous encounters with hosts should enhance the ability of wasps to accurately identify microhabitats where suitable hosts are most likely to be located.