Figure 4.

Frequency of transitions between three construction tasks, building (B), pulp foraging (P), and water foraging (W). (a) Single foundress, as in Polistes. (b) Vespula sylvestris, colony of seven individuals, 44 transitions of one individual, from ref. 28. (c) Polistes fuscatus, colony of 29 individuals, 155 transitions, recalculated from ref. 29. (d) Polybia occidentalis, data pooled from four colonies of <50 individuals, 797 transitions (15). (e) Metapolybia mesoamerica (30), colony of 107 individuals, 117 transitions (this study). (f) Polybia occidentalis, data pooled from three colonies larger than 350 individuals, 2,085 transitions, from ref. 15. Width of arrows corresponds to frequency; numerals indicate exact values. In b and c, every pulp forager also built with her pulp (regardless of sharing) as indicated by the large, straight arrow.