<em>Vespula pensylvanica</em> locate odor sources across diverse natural wind conditions

Many organisms across ecosystems track odor plumes to locate mates and food. This behavior holds particular ecological significance for flying animals, such as bees and birds, due to their critical role in crop pollination. In flying insects, the task of localizing an odor source is particularly challenging due to the complicated dynamics associated with wind flow and odor plume dispersion through spatially complex environments. Though prior studies have discussed the role of wind dynamics in the foraging and flight behaviors of bees, our knowledge of how wind characteristics influence insects’ success and strategies to locate odor sources remains an open area of investigation. Here, we tested whether certain wind conditions were more favorable for foraging insects by comparing yellowjacket arrival times and corresponding wind conditions across three distinct natural environments. Our results indicated that Vespula pensylvanica were capable of locating odor sources across the full range of observed wind conditions, without any clear preferences. This suggests that insects have adapted strategies to perform odor localization tasks across the full spectrum of natural wind that they may encounter. These experiments provide insight into key considerations for future wind tunnel experiments which seek to better resolve insect plume tracking in understudied flow conditions. Methods For information on specific methodologies involved in data collections, see the associated article.