R scripts + csv tables

Learning and memory have been intensively investigated in social bees. In contrast, the cognitive capacities of wasps remain largely unexplored despite their key role as pollinators and predators of insect pests. We focused on the neotropical primitively eusocial wasp Mischocyttarus cerberus and studied the capacities of different castes to learn and memorize associations between odorants and sucrose reward. We developed a Pavlovian conditioning protocol in which harnessed wasps respond with appetitive conditioned movements of their mouthparts to a learned odorant and determined if different castes, sexes and ages differ in their learning and retention capacities. We show that M. cerberus learns and memorizes efficiently the odor-sugar associations. Yet, newly emerged females, but not males, were unable to learn odorants, thus showing a sex and age specific effect on learning related to a different lifestyle. We highlight the remarkable cognitive abilities of wasps and define future goals for their cognitive characterization.