On the nest development of Polistes chinensis antennalis Perez. III. : Relation between the removal of eggs and larvae from the nest and the oviposition of the founding female (Studies on the social Hymenoptera of Japan .Ⅴ)

1. The fact that the emergence of the newly hatched larvae in the nest of Polistes chiensis antennalis Perez may be the limiting factor to the rate of cell construction and oviposition of the founding female was again as curtained in the present study. Namely, the emergence of the newly hatched larvae stops or delays the increase of cells or ovlposition. 2. Even if apart of eggs and larvae are removed artificially from the nest (this means the increase of empty Cells), the rate of oviposition of the founding female does not increase. There is no definite relation between the number of empty cells and the rate of oviposition during a short initial period. Therefore, the stimuli of oviposition do not appear to be related both to the number and the increase of emptycells. 3. The characteristic feature that the female wasps tend to deposit their eggs to the cell-walls facing to the centre of the comb may be ascribed to the following reasons : 1-it is the natural attitude of the females in their earlier life that they grasp the entrance of the cells at their oviposition ; 2-it seems to be a natural habit of this wasp that the females lay their eggs intensively into the empty cells at the central area of the comb rather than those of the outer rings. 4. The disappearance of the eggs in some cells is highly correlated with the hatching of the young larvae in the other cells. This phenomenon can be explained from the fact that the young larvae are often fed with comparatively newly laid eggs which are attached to the cell-walls of the outer rings of the comb.フクモンアシナガバチの巣の発展の経過の概要及び巣房の増築に関する諸要因，建設雌の産卵に関する2，3の問題等は”巣の発展．Ⅰ，Ⅱ” で取り挙げたが，本稿では空室と産卵との関係及び産卵習性を一層明確にする為に行つた小実験の結果を述べたい．アシナガバチ類に於ては巣房が増築されて行くと共に，次々とそれらの新しく造られた巣房に産卵が行われて行くのであるが，卵を産附する位置は六角形の巣房の何れかの隅であり，1つの巣に就いて卵を産附している位置を調べて見る時，中心部(支柱がある部分)に近い隅に附ける場合が非常に多いことは前に報告した．然し，この現象は蜂にそのような習性がある為に生じたものであるのか， 又は他の原因に依つて偶発的に生じたのであるのかを明らかにすることが，こ与の実験の主な目的の一つであった．他の一つの目的は， 自然状態に於ては充分に明らかにすることの出来なかった空室と産卵との関係，特に， 人為的に空室を増加することに依って，建設雌の産卵率が増加するかどうかを究明することであった