Exploring chemical badges in swarm-founding wasps

Abstract Chemical communication helps maintaining social organization in insects, with cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) conveying information about reproductive status and colony identity. In social wasps, these compounds also occur on the eggs’ surface. Here, we investigated whether juvenile hormone (JH) levels influence CHC composition in females and whether colony-specific chemical signatures are present in both adult CHCs and egg surface hydrocarbons in the swarm-founding wasp Polybia paulista . Additionally, we synthesized existing literature to assess current knowledge of chemical ecology in the Epiponini tribe. Newly emerged workers were treated with the JH analogue methoprene or acetone as a control, and CHC profiles were analyzed using GC–MS. Hydrocarbons from adult females and eggs from three colonies were compared. We compiled data from twenty datasets to summarize patterns in Epiponini chemical ecology. Methoprene treatment altered the relative abundance of several hydrocarbons, with some compounds showing intermediate levels between control workers and queens, although this pattern was not consistent across all chemical classes. Both adult and egg hydrocarbons varied among colonies, with eggs showing stronger differentiation. These findings suggest that hormonal regulation contributes to chemical production while colony-specific cues may facilitate recognition processes within colonies. Our synthesis indicates that research remains limited and taxonomically biased, highlighting important directions for future studies. Our study advances understanding of chemical communication in swarm-founding wasps and provides a broader framework for interpreting variation across species within this ecologically important group. Future research should integrate behavioral assays to clarify evolutionary patterns and functional roles of hydrocarbons in Epiponini wasps.