Responses of insects to recent climate change have been well documented in a number of taxa, but not in wasps. This study examined shifts in phenology of the two most important wasp species (Vespa crabro and Vespula germanica) in Poland over the last three decades. Both species showed similar temporal trends, advancing their phenology after the early 1980s, but this pattern was detected only for workers not for the appearance of queens. The appearance times for V. germanica were negatively

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... ed to mean April temperature, appearing earlier in years with warmer springs, and positively related to precipitation in April. The studied species advanced aspects of their phenology, but linking this to temperature was not achieved for V. crabro suggesting that we have to pay more attention to the life history traits of the study organisms. 203 * Corresponding author: thsparks@btopenworld.com Date of first queen NAO A J J M A M F J A J J M A M F J Density Total monthly precipitation Mean monthly temperature Vespula germanica TABLE 2. Correlations between wasp phenology and monthly mean temperature, total monthly precipitation, the North Atlantic Oscillation winter index and the density of Vespula germanica. Significant correlations shown in bold.