Paradox of worker reproduction and worker mating in temperate paper wasps,Polistes chinensisandP. snelleni(Hymenoptera Vespidae)

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Abstract
Worker reproduction and worker mating were compared between two temperate paper wasp species Polistes chinensis and P. snelleni in central Japan, by dissecting females. As a whole, potential egg-layers (worker reproductives) constituted 14.7% of 273 workers from queen-right colonies and 26.0% of 254 from orphaned colonies in P. chinensis. In P. snelleni, potential egg-layers constituted 8.1% of 307 workers from queen-right colonies and 11.6% of 337 from orphaned colonies. The numbers and proportions of potential egg-layers per colony were also larger in P. chinensis than in P. snelleni. Despite the presence of more potential egg-layers, there were no inseminated workers in P. chinensis colonies. By contrast, in P. snelleni 8.5 and 18.1% of all workers were inseminated in queenright and orphaned colonies, respectively. The differences between the worker characteristics of the two species were investigated and were concluded to be mainly due to differences in the production schedules of new reproductive females (new queens) and males by the foundress queens.