1941] Experiments in Vespine Colonies 19 
screening in an attempt to escape, an arenaria worker 
jumped upon her back and attempted to bite off the wings, 
all the while flexing her abdomen in an attempt to sting the 
intruder. After this, several “defenders” would dart for- 
ward and nip at the legs, antennae and wings and return 
to the circle. This darting and biting continued until the 
first worker succeeded in injecting her sting, which con- 
cluded hostilities. Even after death, the intruder was wor- 
ried and chewed by occasional wasps. The workers re- 
moved the dead maculata from the hive five days after the 
battle. 
The maculata made no effort to defend itself. Aside from 
moving to escape, it submitted to its fate. Subsequent simi- 
lar experiments with intruding arenaria workers on macu- 
lata nests resulted in the same results for the intruder. 
It thus seems that members of one species of Dolicho- 
vespula will tolerate guests of the same species, while they 
are actively hostile to the intruders of another species. They 
are not loath to prey upon the larvae of another species and 
will enter the other nest to do so if permitted. 
Literature Cited 
1. Gaul, A. T. A Method of Collecting Nests of Some Social Hymen- 
optera — Bull. Brooklyn Entom. Soc. Vol. 34, 1939, pp. 197-8. 
2. Clark, A. H. Potent Personalities, Wasps and Hornets — Nat. 
Geog. Mag. July 1937 pp. 70-1. 
3. Rau, Phil The Instinct of Animosity and Tolerance in Queen 
Polistes Wasps — Jour. Comp. Psychology, Vol. 27, 1939, 
pp. 259-69. 
