Vespula pensylvanica locate odour sources across diverse natural wind conditions

Many organisms across ecosystems track odour plumes to locate mates and food. For flying insects, the task of localizing an odour source is particularly challenging due to the complicated dynamics associated with wind flow and odour plume dispersion through spatially complex environments. Although wind tunnel experiments have been instrumental in answering many questions related to olfactory search, such experiments cannot replicate the complexity of natural wind conditions. Thus, our knowledge of how real-world wind characteristics influence insects' success and strategies to locate odour sources remains an open area of investigation. Here, we tested whether certain wind conditions were more favourable for foraging insects by comparing yellowjacket arrival times and corresponding wind conditions across three distinct natural environments. Our results indicate that Vespula pensylvanica are capable of locating odour sources across the full range of observed wind conditions, without any clear preferences. This suggests that insects have adapted strategies to perform odour localization tasks across the full spectrum of natural wind that they may encounter. Our field-based approach provides insights into key considerations for future wind tunnel experiments that seek to better resolve insect plume tracking in understudied flow regimes.