98 Psyche [March 
Materials and Methods 
A large barn on the edge of Athens, Ga., was selected as the main 
site for investigation because it harbored one of the best populations 
of P. annularis in the area (Fig. i). Although several polistine spe- 
cies nested there, P. annularis was the predominant species with 
P. hunteri and P . exclamans next in abundance. Abandoned houses 
and other barns also were investigated, as well as nests in shrubs and 
bushes. 
Cofounding females were marked on the thoracic dorsum with 
rapid drying model paints of various colors and combinations of 
colors. Marking was most often done at night with no aggressive 
occurrences. Similar marking of workers was more difficult. 
. Cofounding females were watched daily, their presence and ab- 
sence from the nest being recorded. Any new arrivals from one 
nest to another could be spotted immediately due to the different 
colors used in marking. All of the behavioral characteristics were 
observed repeatedly on numerous nests to assure that they were 
routine in the life of P. annularis. 
Dominance reactions were carefully investigated on separate nests 
where each cofoundress could be marked differently. Upon behav- 
iorly determining the dominant cofoundress (queen) the wasps of a 
number of nests were taken and dissected for an investigation of 
their reproductive systems (Dirks and Hermann, 1975a). 
Observations on nest size increase and immature stages were made 
at night since the nest could be approached with ease during early 
colony development, prior to the emergence of workers. Also, much 
of the information on the number of adults on a nest and the identity 
of females on a nest was obtained at night. 
Results and Discussion 
• P. annularis clearly demonstrates seasonal colonial changes while 
its relative, P. canadensis, apparently shows no seasonal synchrony 
in the foundation and termination of colonies in tropical areas where 
no temporal changes occur (Eberhard, 1969). 
Pre-nesting Aggregations 
In the beginnings of nest establishment by P. annularis , certain 
behavioral characteristics are carried over from a pre-nesting or post- 
hibernation period (Hermann and Dirks, 1975). The fertilized 
females from the previous year show strong tendencies to aggregate 
into groups of individuals having similar origins (sibling relation- 
ship). 
