Ordering and topological defects in social wasps' nests

Area of Science:

• Entomology
• Materials Science
• Bio-inspired Architecture

Background:

• Social insects, including bees and wasps, are known for constructing complex, ordered structures.
• Hexagonal cell arrangements are common in insect nests, optimizing space and material usage.
• The paper wasp Polistes wattii builds planar, open nests with hexagonal patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively analyze the structural order in Polistes wattii nests.
• To identify and characterize topological defects within the nest architecture.
• To explore the role of these defects in nest formation and organization.

Main Methods:

• Application of the pair correlation function to analyze spatial arrangements.
• Identification and classification of topological defects (e.g., pentagon-heptagon disclinations, Stone-Wales quadrupoles).
• Global and local analysis of hexagonal orientational order.

Main Results:

• Polistes wattii nests display short-range hexagonal order, not long-range crystalline order, resembling amorphous materials.
• Hexagonal orientational order is maintained across the entire nest structure.
• Topological defects, such as dislocations and Stone-Wales quadrupoles, are present and organized within the nests.

Conclusions:

• The hexagonal order in Polistes wattii nests is characterized by short-range correlations and the presence of topological defects.
• These defects play a crucial role in organizing the nest structure and may contribute to the stability and formation of the architecture.
• Understanding these defect-mediated organization principles could offer insights into the nesting strategies of other social insects.