Polybia bucula Buysson, 1902 Polybia isabellina Schulthess, 1913 The African swarm-founding wasp, Polybioides tabidus, is a social paper wasp from the order Hymenoptera that is typically found in Central Africa.

[1] This wasp is unique in that it exhibits cyclical oligogyny, meaning queen number varies with colony cycle.

[2] P. tabidus has been observed to display both predator and scavenger behavior, depending on the food sources available.

[1] It is suggested that reproductive ability may be possible in both castes, as some workers have been observed to possess developed ovaries.

[6] Nests typically contain hexagonal cells arranged into multiple vertical combs, which are aligned adjacent to each other.

P. tabidus has been studied in Cameroon and Western Kenya, namely the Kakamega Forest Reserve.

[5][10] Large colony size decreases the risk of predation associated with nest initiation.

In swarm-founding species, workers rub their gasters in distinct movements on objects along the route of their path.

[5] In some swarm-founding species, workers release glandular secretions which coordinate swarming by attracting the wasps that follow.

[5] The degree of relatedness between workers and queens influences the amount of positive cooperation within the colony.

The typical Hymenopteran haplo-diploid genetic system of relatedness—where females share a 0.75-degree of relatedness with their sisters and only a 0.50-degree with their brothers—is not found in P.

[11] Workers of P. tabidus share elevated relatedness and, thus, benefit through cooperation in aiding relatives and swarm-founding.

P. tabidus exhibits cyclical oligogyny, where queen number varies with colony cycle.

[8] Cyclical oligogyny has evolved independently in the Neotropical epiponine swarm-founding wasps, such as Polybia emaciata.

[9] P. tabidus workers display scavenger behaviors when they are presented with dead animals, such as vertebrates, while foraging.

[3] As a consequence of the preferred diet of P. tabidus—food sources high in sugar or protein—workers must come in contact with many other scavengers, such as the aphid Toxoptera citridus.