Nest usurpation

Nest usurpation is when the queen of one species of eusocial insects takes over the colony of another species. Cuckoo bumblebees (Psithyrus) and brood-parasitic paper wasps (e.g., Polistes sulcifer) are known for usurpation.

Among Metapolybia cingulata, it is very common to observe queens taking over other M. cingulata colonies, however it has also been noted that if the two colonies are similar enough, the exchange of workers or queens can be relatively smooth.