Fig. 1.

Description of attackers and attackees from queenless nests of Polybia micans. (A) One day after queen removal, attackers surround, bite and pin down an attackee (yellow arrow) to the comb. (B) Relative age of attackees and attackers on queenless nests based on the analysis of apodeme darkening on the 5th sternite. Gray, black and white circles indicate females with partially developed, filamentous and unknown ovaries, respectively. (C) Ovarian status (designated A–H) of females from four colonies sampled 1, 1–3 or 7 days after queen removal (AQR). Attackees (Atke) have larger ovaries and are younger than their attackers (Atkr). Some ‘accepted’ (Acc.) females, those who were attacked 1–3 days AQR but later were accepted back into the nest, had larger ovaries than those attacked in colony 4, but not in colony 5. Inside wasps (In) are a sampling of females found in the nest who were not observed to be attacked.