1982] 
Traniello — Amblyopone pallipes 
67 
Queen number. The frequency distribution of the number of 
queens in a colony is given in Fig. 3. Of 19 queenright colonies, 10 
(52%) contained more than one dealate female. Observations of 
multiple queened colonies in the laboratory revealed that in at least 
some of these colonies each queen was functionally reproductive. 
However, many queens in apparently polygynous colonies did not 
lay eggs, and engaged primarily in worker tasks. 
Life cycle, colony reproduction, and population structure. Be- 
cause colonies were collected and censused throughout the spring 
and summer of 1977 and 1978, it is possible to outline the life cycle 
of A. pallipes (Fig. 4). Eggs are laid in late April or early May and 
larvae hatch and develop throughout June and July. Mature larvae 
pupate in mid-July and early August, and adults eclose approxi- 
mately two to three weeks later. Although small numbers of eggs 
and larvae are present in most colonies throughout the spring and 
summer, it appears that only one brood matures per year. The large 
number of eggs found in colonies collected in August hatch before 
September and overwinter as larvae (Talbot, 1957). It is possible 
that the winter chilling results in the determination of these larvae as 
sexuals. In late August and early September workers and sexuals 
simultaneously eclose unassisted from their pupal cases. The adults 
which eclose at this time are predominantly workers. In four colo- 
