1984] 
Hermann & Chao — Mischocyttarus 
63 
apparent as has been reported by Starr (1981) for some other 
polistine species. At times, females would spin in place on the nest 
immediately upon returning from a pseudoattack flight. Spinning is 
described as a rapid turning of the body throughout a small radius 
of movement. Also, post-attack grooming is sometimes evident. 
Nests 1-3 from Haines City, Florida, reacted to provocation 
much like nest 4 (Table II), even through there was a considerable 
difference in nest size. One apparent behavioral difference existed. 
Nests from Haines City were adjacent to one another in metal and 
ceramic bell-like wind chimes. When strongly provoked, adults that 
left the nest in pseudoattack at times returned to a neighboring nest 
rather than to their own and rapidly moved around the nest face. 
Observing this indicates to us that possibly the three nests were 
initiated by siblings. We have observed similar behavior in Polistes 
annularis. Comparisons between June and August nests point out 
that defensive behavioral changes occur in M. m. cubicola as a 
function of time. This is also true for P. annularis, P.fuscatus and 
P. exclamans (unpublished) and appears to be widely recognized for 
other vespid species (Hermann and Blum, 1981). The major 
differences occur in the defensive attitude of eusocial wasps between 
the pre- and post-emergence periods. 
Summary 
Mischocyttarus mexicanus cubicola on Sapelo Island, Georgia, 
nests on buildings, other man-made structures and on the underside 
of leaves of the Cabbage Palm, Sabal palmetto. Although defensive 
behaviors expressed in young colonies at first appear to be poorly 
demonstrated in this subspecies, they include nest architecture and, 
under strong provocation, pseudoattack and subsequent erratic 
flight, general nest excitability, defensive posture, wing raising, wing 
buzzing, wing fluttering, forward jerking, mandibular pecking, 
backward jerking, abdominal pumping, abdominal twisting, retreat 
and escape. None of the warning behaviors were demonstrated in 
young colonies in a consistent manner or in a particular sequence. 
The most consistent behaviors in young colonies were retreat and 
escape, whereas in mature colonies all of the warning behaviors 
recorded for young colonies were expressed readily and in a 
predictable sequence. 
