The nest-forming behavior is predominantly an inherited species-pattern.
The nests of a given species show striking similarity in material, general
shape, internal organization and ecological position. In most instances,
the workers which construct the nest have had no contact with workers of
other colonies. The reproductive castes, which do not exhibit complicated
nest-building behavior, fly from the parental nest, pair, and lay eggs which
develop into workers which again establish a nest with the specific characteristics
of the parental nest.