Not all pirate wasps have a tragic past
Paper wasps that take over other females' nests may be playing out a novel sit-and-wait reproductive strategy instead of building or tending their own nests.
References:
Starks, P.T. 1998. A novel sit and wait reproductive strategy in social wasps. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 265(Aug. 7):1407.
Sources:
Philip T. Starks
Cornell University
Section of Neurobiology and Behavior
Ithaca, NY 14853-2702
E-mail: pts3@cornell.edu
8/15/98
copyright 1998 ScienceService