Successful and unsuccessful development of colonies ofVespula vulgaris(Linn.) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

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Abstract
Six categories of immature and five categories of mature colonies are described and their developmental relationships suggested. Mature brood destroyed by the workers became numerous in 46.4% of the immature colonies. Most of these formed unsuccessful colonies (36.9%) producing few or no queens. The remaining 9.5% recovered to form successful colonies. Successful colonies either reared queens only (mean 356 queens), or queens (mean 1461) and males (mean 254) in their large cells. The number of small cells in mature colonies correlated with the number of cells built by the founder queen. The greater the number of large cells in a mature colony the greater were the chances that a larger proportion of these cells would be used to rear adults. The number of small and large cells are correlated in mature successful colonies. Queen activity and quality are important factors in the control of colony size and success. Selective destruction of male sealed brood in the large cells is linked to worker, rather than queen, control.