Behaviour of Foundresses in Polygynous Colonies of Parapolybia indica SAUSSURE (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) under Controlled Conditions

本稿はホソアシナガバチの越冬雌を春季に採集し，野外網室という閉鎖環境下で人為的に営巣させた場合にみられた多雌創巣について述べた。1982～83年に観察された多雌巣は，最初は1頭の創設雌によって始まり，のちに数雌が加わったが，すべての例において働きバチの羽化までに単雌巣となった。多雌巣の雌個体間には優劣行動がみられたが，産卵はいずれの個体も行った。しかし，食卵行動は頻発し，他雌の産んだ卵を食べる例が多くみられた。最優位雌は他個体よりも外役活動に従事する頻度が高かったが，1回当たりの外役活動時間は短かった。This paper describes the division of labour and dominance interactions among foundressed in some polygynous colonies of Parapolybia indica SAUSSURE under controlled conditions. Spring queens were collected and maintained in a field-rearing cage during 1982-1983. Single and multiple foundress colonies were observed from the nest foundation until the emergence of the first workers. In the latter case, colonies were founded by a true foundress, and several joiners (additional foundresses) later joined the colony. These associate foundresses dispersed gradually and the colony became a true monogyny when the first workers emerged. Dominance-subordinance behavior such as that described by PARDI(1948) was observed between the queen and the foundresses. The status of the queen at the highest rank in a colony was stable. In all cases, the queen and co-foundresses all aontributed to egg-laying. Oophagy occured frequently among them, and an oophagic individual avoided eating her own eggs by eating only newly laid eggs. The queen tends to forage more frequently than each subordinate, but time taken for a single trip by the queen was shorter than by sbordinates