Introduction Wasps are a type of insect classified by their distinctive thorax and abdomen, and are also known as hymenopteran (hymenopteran, 2012) of the suborder Apocrita. Other members of this order include ants, bees, ichneumons, chalcid’s and sawflies. Wasps are carnivorous, while their cousin, the bee, is an omnivore, feeding off flower pollen during their life cycle. Wasps feed from carrion, other insects, sucrose, and pretty much whatever it lays eyes-on, or senses when it goes out to seek food for itself. During the winter months most wasps die and a single queen survives and begins building a nest once the weather warms up in the spring time. She will begin laying eggs in the new nest she creates, which will be females, who begin helping her construct the new nest once they grow to maturity. After the nest begins growing other helpers, or drones, will begin scouting the area for either food to feed the larvae, or for building material they can chew and regurgitate in the form of a texture similar to paper to help build a nest. Wasps have a compound eye that differs among different species of neuropteran that help scientists tell them apart by observing the sulcus, which divides the compound eye of some species of Apocrita, such as the differences between the subfamily Ascalaphinae to the family Ascalaphidae which bears slight asymmetrical differences in these types of hynoptmeran as opposed to those with undivided eyes such as the subfamily Haplogleniinae (Fischer, et al., 2006). Scientists have identified cones in the eyes of one wasp species, trichogramma evanescens, (Fischer, et al., 2011) which would make one suspect the wasp is capable of perceiving different colors of the EM scale in their linear, quasi-parralax, SfM using, laterally- placed eyesight (Hu, et al., 2008). Many different moths and butterflies have better spectrum perception than humans because of their abilities to perceive ultra violet and infrared wave lengths in their eyesight. This is not uncommon with winged insects that rely on their eyesight, as well as their sense of smell, during flight. Hypothesis Wasps can see the ceiling despite its color and chose to build nests. Prediction If different colored pieces of paper with a hole in them are put in front of a wasp nest, will the wasps not detect the blue paper and not be able to find their nests? If they can detect the other colors of paper and not detect the blue piece of paper in front of their nest they are indeed color blind to the color blue and the assumption that a blue ceilinged porch is therefore true. The prediction for this experiment is that the wasps will detect the nest despite any attempts to mask it by using different colored paper. The experiment will be held outside during clear and optimum weather conditions to help eliminate any variables that may invalidate the experiment. Controlled Experiment Three pieces of paper will have holes cut in them and will be placed over a wasp nest. The holes will serve as access to the nest should the wasps detect the paper and realize their nest is behind the paper. The different colored paper used in this experiment will be red, yellow, and blue to test the insect’s blind sight for the experiment (Experimental Methods, 2004). The test will be performed during optimum weather conditions and will count the numbers of wasps who left the nest and returned versus the number of wasps who left and did not return to the nest because it was no longer in their field of vision (Experimental Controls, 2004). Results Three different observations were made during the controlled experiment. These include how many wasps successfully navigated their way back to the nest and found the entrance according to which individual sheet of colored paper put over the entrance to the nest given a set time frame of one hour during for the observations. The red paper had 13 wasps return to the nest after 14 had left. The blue paper had 8 wasps return when 8 had left. The yellow paper had 7 wasps return when 7 had left. Conclusion Based on the results of the presumption that wasps cannot tell the difference between blue-ceilinged porches and blue skies the hypothesis is rejected. The wasps can detect different colors and during the test and became accustomed to them to the point that, when removed, they followed the colored papers around if they were left unprotected. If any other tests are needed more experimental methods will be needed to test the hymenopteran contrast sensitivity function, perimetry, psychophysics, pupillometry, retinotopic, scotoma, signal detection theory, spatial frequency, for other visual field defects and other blind site perception inquiries under laboratory conditions (Blindsite, 2010). Some practical applications noted during the experiment- the ability of the wasps to follow the colored paper around after it had been removed from their nest. This suggests that wasps have a simple intelligence and may be trained to seek out certain substances, such as what police officers do when they train dogs to sniff out illegal narcotics or explosives. References Blindsight. (2009). In Encyclopedia of Consciouseness. Retrieved from credoreference.proxy.cecybrary/entry/estcon/blindsight Experimental Controls. (2004). In The Concise Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science. Retrieved from credoreference.proxy.cecybrary/entry/wileypsych/experimental_controls Experimental Methods. (2004). In The Concise Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science. Retrieved from credoreference.proxy.cecybrary/entry/wileypsych/experimental_method Hu, C., Cheong, L.F., (2008). “Linear Quasi-Parrax SfM Using Laterally-Placed Eyes”. © Springer Science +Business Media, LLC 2009. Fischer, H., Hölzel, H., Kral, K. (2006). Journal Compilation “Divided and undivided compound eyes in Ascalaphidae (Insecta, Neuroptera) and their functional and phylogentic significance”. Institute of Zoology, Karl-Franzens-University Graz, Austria. Fischer S., Müller CH., Meyer-Rochow VB., (2010). Visual Neuroscience: How small can small be? The compound eye of the parasitoid wasp trichogramma evanescens (Hymenoptera, Hexapoda), an insect of 0.3- to 0.4-mm total body size. Retrieved from ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20939936 Hymenopteran. (2012). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from britannica/EBchecked/topic/279337/hymenopteran
Posted on: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 17:48:12 +0000
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