1975] 
Hermann Dirks — Polistes ananularis 
101 
Table 1. Average data from P, annularis nests with multiple cofound- 
Date 
resses, 1970.* 
# of 
Cofoundresses 
# of 
cells present 
# of 
capped cells 
# of 
workers 
April 16 
3 
13.33 
0 
0 
17 
2.33 
14 
0 
0 
18 
2.33 
16 
0 
0 
22 
2.33 
21 
0 
0 
23 
2.33 
24 
0 
0 
26 
2.0 
24 
0 
0 
May 1 
2.0 
32.33 
0 
0 
13 
2.33 
41.5 
0.33 
0 , 
20 
2.33 
44.33 
8 
0 
22 
2.33 
46 
11.33 
0 
27 
2 
50.67 
16 
0 
June 16 
2 
80 
14 
17 
!** 
— 
13.5 
13.5 
*Nests #17, 19 and 20. 
**Initial loss of first cofoundresses and emergence of workers. 
***First emergence of workers, leading to interactions between new workers 
and colony cofoundresses. 
by a female she immediately deposits her own egg, thus resulting in 
a very inefficient waste of time and energy on the part of colony 
building. According to Eberhard (1969) only one egg-laying female 
of P. canadensis was ever present on a nest at any one time. Con- 
sequently, differential oophagy was not observed in this species. 
Such an efficiency loss in the early colonies of P. annularis is 
recognized by the slow process of cell building in the early stages of 
nest construction in which several cofoundresses are involved. As 
dominance is established by the dominant queen, subordinate co- 
foundresses put more time into colony duties ( become workers or 
beta individuals) and the building of cells increases. 
Table 1 illustrates an average of 3 P. annularis nests in which 
there are only about 2 cofoundresses per nest. Whenever there are 
only 2 or 3 cofoundresses present dominance is established at an early 
stage of nest development and there is not as evident an efficiency 
loss as we find on larger nests. 
A decrease in colony activity was reported for P. canadensis by 
Eberhard (1969) although it apparently did not represent a loss in 
efficiency. During a five-week period of early nest founding there 
were no new cell building and no observed oviposition. Eggs and 
larvae also developed at a reduced rate. 
