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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Bees, Ants, and other Stinging Wasps » Ants, Stinging Wasps, and Hornets (Vespoidea) » Yellowjackets, Paper Wasps, and Hornets; Potter, Mason and Pollen Wasps (Vespidae) » Paper Wasps (Polistinae) » Polistes » Northern Paper Wasp (Polistes fuscatus)
Photo#270598
Multi-foundress association - Polistes fuscatus
Copyright © 2009 Vespula vulgaris

Multi-foundress association - Polistes fuscatus
Perry County, Pennsylvania, USA
April 28, 2009
A little over a week into construction, and the two nests are starting to grow into one. Interestingly, there is an egg that has been laid in between the two nests, not really in any cell.
I think the female on the far left is the dominant one, due to the fact that she is the one I have observed ovipositing and she is the one that is home most of the time

If it survives to the end of the season, this nest is destined to be very large, with the cell count already into the 20's this early. It is larger than any other nest around

Images of this individual: tag all
Multi-foundress association - Polistes fuscatus Multi-foundress association - Polistes fuscatus Multi-foundress association - Polistes fuscatus Multi-foundress association - Polistes fuscatus Multi-foundress association - Polistes fuscatus Multi-foundress association - Polistes fuscatus - male - female Multi-foundress association - Polistes fuscatus - female Multi-foundress association - Polistes fuscatus - female
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Contributed by Vespula vulgaris on 28 April, 2009 - 6:10pm

Different individuals
Do you mean that you are able to tell them apart? Wow! Do you give them names. I would.
This promises to be an interesting story; I will stay posted.
… Beatriz Moisset, 1 May, 2009 - 3:57pm login or register to post comments

 
Its challenging
but it is possible to tell the individuals apart after making daily observations

The female that I spoke of in this photo being the dominant one is the same female at the bottom of the first photo

I have marked a certain individual with red on her thorax solely because I conducted an experiment with her, but I have not marked the other four because it is stressful on them
I only give names to my captives ;)
… Vespula vulgaris, 1 May, 2009 - 7:32pm login or register to post comments

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