For H. ligatus, similar to other eusocial halictids, the differences in reproductive strategies among females correlate with distinctions in body size and appearance.Brand, N. & Chapuisat, M. 2012. Born to be bee, fed to be worker? The caste system of a primitively eusocial insect. Frontiers in Zoology, 9, 1-9. For instance foundresses, or queens, tend to be large-bodied females in order to maximize energetic reserves, thereby enabling them to overwinter, establish nests, and reproduce independently. On the contrary, helpers tend to be smaller-bodied daughters with undeveloped ovaries.
