Bald-faced hornet from mid-April to early October, and reproductives were produced from mid-July through the end of November. Onset of male output usually precedes that of queen output in social wasps, however here "D. maculata" is an exception to this trend. Energy investment by workers required to produce reproductives is considerable. Newly emerged males and queens are no more functional than pupae; both depend heavily on solid prey brought in by workers, thus competing with larvae for food resources. As a result, worker quantity must remain high in order to maintain reproductive output. Workers must maintain food stores and defend the nest,
Bald-faced hornet and colonies whose work force diminishes too early in the colony's life cycle will suffer a greater overall total loss in reproductives. A colony is divided into sterile males, female workers and the queen. All females are born with reproductive capacities. Caste systems are determined by larval feeding regime. G.T. Felippotti examined caste distribution amongst females in five small cell colonies and six large cell colonies. Small cell colonies had one queen and 17–21 female workers. Large cell colonies had 2–6 queens and 10–52 workers. Morphological comparisons revealed that queens are always larger than workers in the same colonies. Cuticular