Behavioral ecology of Japanese paper wasps, Polistes spp. IV. Comparison of ethograms between queens and workers of P. chinensis antennalis in the ergonomic stage

Behavioral catalogues, transition matrices between 2 consecutive behavioral acts, and the frequency distribution of time spent in each behavioral act were described for queens and workers of a Japanese paper wasp, Polistes chinensis antennalis in the ergonomic stage (the period from the emergence of the first worker to the emergenece of the first reproductive). The results were; (1) The whole behavior repertoire of queens was completely included in that of workers. Workers oviposited frequently in queen-right colonies. (2) The proportion of off-nest activities to the number of total acts for workers was higher than that for queens. The proportion of time spent off the nest in workers was 5 times as high as that in queens. (3) There was no significant difference in the proportion of number of oviposition to the total number of acts between queens and workers. The oviposition rate was 0.06 eggs/h for workers and 0.37 eggs/h for queens. Queens made more dominance behavior and workers more subordinated behavior. Queens made abdomen wagging more frequently than workers. (4) For behavioral acts common in both queens and workers, the mean duration of a specific act was approximately equal for both. The mean duration of unsuccessful flesh collection for workers was 3.4 times as longs as that for queens. Workers did not search for flesh in 10.1% of duration of flesh collections in the field. (5) The pattern of transitions between 2 consecutive behavioral acts in workers was similar to that in queens. (6) Alien workers approaching a nest with a load were more often accepted by the nest occupants than alien workers with no load. Alien workers with no load were not accepted as often as a legitimate nestmates with no load. The reproductive division of labor between queens and workers in P. chinesis antennalis was incomplete. This suggests worker-queen conflict in different reproductive strategies among colony members. Several behaviors were consistent with the view that they are the behavioral expression of this conflict.