Oviposition and Queen Manipulation by Swarm Workers of an Australian Swarm-founding Paper Wasp, Ropalidia romandi (Le Guillou)(Hymenoptera : Vespidae)

概要

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Colonies of an Australian swarm-founding paper wasp, Ropalidia romandi, were artificially disturbed to induce absconding swarms. Workers initiated the migration and queens immigrated into a new nesting site in the later stage of a migration event. On the initial nest founded by a swarm of wasps, workers laid eggs while no oviposition by queens occurred. Dissection of females for ovaries indicated that the proportion of workers with developed oocytes ("egg-laying" workers) increased a few days after the initiation of swarm migration, and that about one-third of workers participating in the swarm had developed oocytes. Workers frequently encircled a queen (royal court) ; the proportion of egg-laying individuals in encircling workers was significantly higher than in the overall proportion in the workers that participated in the swarm. A court apparently functioned to prevent queens from having access to the new combs and, thus, from laying eggs. A court on an initial nest was often accompanied by aggressive behavior of encircling workers toward the queen.
日本昆虫学会の論文
2000-03-25