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Article History

Received: 9 February 2026

Accepted: 27 July 2026

First Online: 5 August 2026

Declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study focused on the social wasp Polistes fuscatus and its parasite, the twisted-wing insect Xenos peckii in western New York, USA . These species are not included in the CITES checklist or the IUCN list of threatened species. Uninfected and infected wasps collected from our long-term population in the wild were collected and reared in the laboratory under permit OPHRP FL01 issued by the New York Office of State Parks. As both species are invertebrates and local to New York, they do not require an IACUC protocol or a USDA approved room to be reared in laboratory conditions. Finally, there are no other requirements or ethical regulations to study this host-parasite system in the USA.

Consent for publication: Not applicable.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.