Bald-faced hornet to laying eggs while the workers take over all other necessary housekeeping tasks. At some point, sometime before the midpoint of colony life, the colony will begin to invest energy in producing reproductives as well. This marks the transition into the reproductive stage. There is an extensive time period where both workers and reproductives are raised. Production of both castes limits the size of the work force. However, an early switching time is highly adaptive for social wasp colonies in limiting the risk of total loss. In a sampling of 50 colonies taken in Maryland in 1977, workers were produced
Bald Mountains range gets its name from the relatively frequent occurrence of grassy balds atop the more prominent summits. The Cherokee National Forest and the Pisgah National Forest protect substantial sections of the Bald Mountains. The Appalachian Trail traverses the crest of the range. Populated areas within the range include Erwin and Del Rio in Tennessee and Hot Springs in North Carolina. The highest summit in the Bald Mountains is Big Bald, which rises to an elevation of . Bald Mountains The Bald Mountains are a mountain range rising along the border between Tennessee and North Carolina in the southeastern United States.