The start of it all[]
Spring 2013 4 polistes dominula queens were found, as the dominant female was injured and could not fly she was saved. 1 other dominula was found weeks before. The second dominant worker was found shortly before the queen. She almost froze to death before she was brought. The first worker was a little late on hatching during the spring. She' no worker anymore today she's dominant female of the other sister wasps. Surprisingly she is very small and also usually dominant females have black dots on their facial markings, not her she has yellow facial markings like a very small worker.
September 5 2013[]
The dominant female is the oldest and the smallest of the dominulas. She has had several dominance fights with the larger wasps.
Then there are the two twin wasps, eggs layed same time, hatched from pupae the same time. They look exactly the same although the abdominal markings are slightly different on one of them.
The subordinate female is the largest of them all.
They are all virgin although one male did try to mate with the dominant female while she was still a worker in july. Possibly if they hatch all male they will most likely mate with the dominant female and then she can reproduce female workers.
September 6 2013[]
Polistes dominula are social wasps and need to be around others of the same species. Because of this most of the wasps sleep at night together but not the dominant female. She sleeps with an introduced wasp to the rest of them