Cofoundress value as a predictor of the timing of conflict in the social wasp, Polistes fuscatus (Hymenoptera Vespidae)

Abstract

The effect of value (contribution of individual to group productivity) on the timing of aggression among cofoundresses of the social wasp, Polistes fuscatus, was investigated in the field. Behavioral observations (96 hr) were conducted on 16 multiple-foundress colonies during the late preworker (pre-emergence) and early postworker (post-emergence) phases of the colony cycle. In 5 colonies, either the subordinate or queen was lost prior to postworker observations. In matched preworker and postworker observations of the remaining 11 colonies, foundresses were significantly more tolerant of each other after the emergence of workers than before. Both queens and subordinate foundresses were more tolerant of each other in postworker observations. These results are the opposite of expectations based on the value of cofoundresses in the postworker phase of the colony cycle. However, the assumptions that underlie the hypothesized inverse relationship between aggression and value may not apply. Factors other than value such as reduced reproductive conflict and decreased reproductive options may be responsible for the increase in tolerance after worker emergence.