 Given that Polistes exclamans nests are often destroyed or suffer through the death of the queen ( most often through natural circumstances ) , it is necessary and adaptive for there to be a specific system for the replacement of the queen . The current system in place can best “ be described as gerontocracy . ” Furthermore , it is also closely related to the dominance system within the colony as well . In the dominance hierarchy , older individuals are higher in rank , whereas younger individuals serve in the lower ranks . These older female workers are generally more aggressive and forage more frequently . In reflection of this dominance ranking and the behavior of the female workers , it is seen that when a queen is no longer present in the colony , the next eldest worker becomes the new queen . This may be due to the genetics of the next eldest queen , as the replacement queen affects the overall relatedness of the females in the brood , thereby allowing the future brood to be more related to the adult workers rearing them . 
