8 °C one individual of six (17%) did not survive ABT-263 mw past 9 h, at Ta = 39.7 °C three of four wasps (75%) died within 9–12.5 h. At Ta = 42.4 °C all four individuals (100%) died within 1.7 to 2.5 h. In Fig. 4 the percentage of mortality at the tested Ta is indicated. Fig. 5 displays the CO2 production and the thoracic temperature excess (Tth − Tab) of a wasp that did not survive the experiment. After cease of cyclic respiration the individual showed a characteristic pattern of CO2 release. This was accompanied by a distinct endothermic phase. The thermograms show that it was induced by thoracic heating activity. In these experiments solely V. vulgaris foragers were investigated. Fig. 6 shows a representative

thermolimit experiment. With increasing temperature the wasps were more agitated, they ran around looking for an exit from the measurement chamber, gnawed

into the chamber’s fittings and showed self-grooming as well as cooling behavior. Coordinated bodily activity ceased with mortal fall ( Fig. 6, stage 4). The averaged values of mortal fall provided the knockdown temperature ( Klok et al., 2004 and Stevens et al., 2010) or activity CTmax of 44.9 °C ( Table 1). However, spasms as well as occasional abdominal movements (which might evade automated activity detection because of diminutive appearance) could be observed in the IR recordings of some individuals until the postmortal peak. CO2 production followed the stages of response to rising ambient temperature first described by Lighton and Turner (2004) (Fig. 6). The respiratory CTmax was determined via the inflection point of the rADS residual values 10 min before and after the mortal fall.

Averaged values were considered Ruxolitinib mouse as the respiratory CTmax amounting to 45.3 °C. Activity CTmax and respiratory CTmax did not differ significantly (P = 0.357507, t-test, Table 1). For comparison, we determined both the activity and also the respiratory Docetaxel molecular weight CTmax in honeybee foragers (A. mellifera carnica). Their activity CTmax of 49.0 °C was nearly identical with their respiratory CTmax of 48.9 °C (P = 0.899966, t-test, Table 1). The honeybees’ activity CTmax was 4.1 °C and their respiratory CTmax was 3.6 °C higher than that of the wasps. Values differed significantly between both species (P < 0.001, t-test, see Table 1). Vespula showed a characteristic CO2 release pattern before the postmortal valley ( Fig. 6A, dotted arrow) which could not be found in other hymenopteran CO2 curves evaluated from thermolimit respirometry (e.g. A. mellifera, Käfer et al., 2011; Pogonomyrmex rugosus, Lighton and Turner, 2004). Fig. 6B also shows the typical thermal reaction (Tth–Tab) of the same wasp, following failure of respiration at the respiratory CTmax. The postmortal peak of CO2 release was accompanied by a heating bout in the thorax (compare also Fig. 5). The mean increase of the thoracic temperature excess over the abdomen at the peak of this bout was as high as 2.5 °C (SD = 0.7 °C, n = 8, maximum = 3.6 °C).