Neotropical Swarm-Founding Wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae: Epiponini) Accept Expelled Queens in Case of Queen Loss

Abstract

In the Epiponini, queen number declines through colony cycle, becausesome queens are expelled from colonies. Here we demonstratethat Epiponini wasps may accept expelled queens in situations ofqueenlessness. One colony of Protopolybia exigua was observed at theUniversity of São Paulo in Brazil; and another of Metapolybia docilis wasobserved at La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. Queen removaltests were performed to study workers’ acceptance of expelled queensand queens from other colonies. In P. exigua, the experimental queenelimination caused a change in the workers’ behavior, ranging fromaggressive expulsion of non-selected queens to re-acceptance. In M.docilis workers were willing to accept queens from other colonies afterqueen elimination. Our results indicate that because of a decrease inworkers aggressiveness during the colony cycle, workers may acceptexpelled queens (even foreign ones, in experimental situations) in orderto ensure colony survival.

Behavioural evolution of Neotropical social wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae): the queen selection process

“…6: character 16). Typically, queens not selected in these processes are removed from the colony (Chavarría‐Pizarro et al., 2018). Queens performing worker tasks were found in Clade C and Chartergellus (Fig.…”

“…Despite the scarcity of information, these behaviours seem important in epiponine colonies. According to West‐Eberhard (1978), queens measure the reproductive capacity of potential queens through a behaviour called “bending display,” and the workers test the queens through behaviours called “worker dance.” If the potential queens reply with submission to “bending display” or “worker dance,” they are expelled from the colony (Naumann, 1970; Simões, 1977; West‐Eberhard, 1978, 1981; Herman et al., 2000; Platt et al., 2004; Chavarría‐Pizarro et al., 2018).…”