 Typically, a "Polistes" colony is founded by a single or a small group of females that have just emerged from hibernation during the winter.They generally prefer warmer climates and initiate construction of new nests.However, a different approach has been observed during the spring colony-founding phase of "P. dominula" in some areas of North America, where a large group of more than 80 wasps aggregated to reuse and expand an old nest.