Peer Review Record

Manuscript ID: JOSTA-202606-BF39

Article Title: Thermal limits of wasps and honey bees and response behaviour of honey bees against predatory wasps at the hive entrance

Double-anonymous review Accepted

Review Summary

ItemDetails
Submission Date02 June 2026
Editorial ScreeningCompleted
External Reviewers2
Review Rounds1
Revision TypeMajor Revision
Final DecisionAccepted
Acceptance Date25 June 2026

Editorial Assessment

The manuscript addresses an important and relevant issue in apiculture by investigating the thermal defence mechanisms of honey bees against predatory wasps. The objectives were clear and the study was judged scientifically valuable and within the scope of JOSTA. Reviewers requested major revisions concerning the description of the methodology, statistical reporting, internal consistency of thermal tolerance values across sections, depth of the Discussion, and overall language quality. The authors satisfactorily addressed all comments, after which the manuscript was accepted for publication.

Review Timeline

Submission Received

02 June 2026

Manuscript submitted through the JOSTA submission portal.

Editorial Screening Completed

06 June 2026

Manuscript passed preliminary editorial checks.

Peer Review Initiated

08 June 2026

Two independent reviewers accepted the review assignment.

Reviewer Reports Received

14 June 2026

Reviewers recommended publication following major revision.

Revised Manuscript Received

24 June 2026

Authors submitted a revised version addressing reviewer concerns.

Final Decision

25 June 2026

Accepted for publication.

Key Issues Addressed During Revision

Reviewer concerns are summarised by category. Specific comments and author responses are confidential.

CategoryNature of ConcernStatus
Abstract Clarity Distinction between maximum survival temperature and complete mortality temperature for wasps and honey bees required clearer presentation ✓ Addressed
Scope & Novelty Knowledge gap and novelty of the present study to be more explicitly stated in the Introduction ✓ Addressed
Methodology Additional technical information needed on incubator specifications, humidity conditions, mortality assessment criteria, and number of experimental replications ✓ Addressed
Statistical Reporting Description of statistical analyses performed, including software used, experimental design, and mean comparison procedures ✓ Addressed
Data Consistency Verification and clarification of thermal tolerance values to ensure consistency between Abstract, Results, and Discussion sections ✓ Addressed
Discussion Reduction of overlap with the Results section and expanded interpretation, particularly on why A. cerana exhibits greater thermal tolerance and the role of co-evolution with predatory wasps ✓ Addressed
Conclusions Inclusion of future prospects for beekeepers and recommendations for future research ✓ Addressed
Language & Clarity Grammatical refinement and improved sentence construction throughout the manuscript ✓ Addressed

Peer Review Statement

Journal of Sustainable Technology in Agriculture (JOSTA) employs a double-anonymous peer review process. The identities of authors and reviewers remain mutually confidential throughout the review and publication process. Reviewer reports and correspondence are not published.

Voluntary reviewer disclosure. JOSTA respects reviewers' autonomy regarding attribution. A reviewer who wishes to be identified in the published article may notify the editorial office at any point before final acceptance. Upon written consent, the reviewer's name and affiliation will be acknowledged in the Publication & Reviewer Details section of the article. Reviewers who do not provide consent remain anonymous and are listed as Anonymous. This policy is strictly voluntary; no reviewer is under any obligation to disclose their identity.

This page provides a transparent summary of the editorial and peer-review process in accordance with JOSTA's open-science commitments. It does not constitute a full disclosure of reviewer comments or author responses.