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True Bees — Part 11

The essential part of a wasp's nest consists of a comb formed of hexagonal cells similar in form to the cells of a honey-comb. It differs, however, in several important respects from that of the hive bee: The material of which it is made is paper instead of wax; the comb consists of a single layer of cells instead of two, and the cells are usually vertical instead of horizontal. In some species the nest consists of a single comb with one or more stems holding it in place. In others the comb is enclosed in a spherical envelope of paper with a small opening at the bottom. In the more complicated nests there is a series of combs placed one below the other, and the whole is enclosed in a case made of many thicknesses of paper. The nests are enlarged by adding cells to the edges of the combs, and room is made for these new cells by removing the inner layers of the envelope; the portion removed, however, not being wasted, but chewed up again by the wasps and added to the outside. The nests are suspended from branches of shrubs and trees or from fences and roofs. Some of the smaller species build their nests in the ground and under stumps. In each cell of the comb an egg is laid. Owing to the position of the comb, when the larva hatches it is suspended head downwards in each cell and holds its place while young by means of a glue and when old by its enlarged head end, which completely fills the open part of the cell. They are constantly nursed by the females and workers, and are fed with a brownish fluid which is prepared by the workers or females and consists of the juices of fruits and the remains of other insects which have been chewed up. When it gets full grown the larva spins a silken cocoon, the lower end of which serves as a cap to the cell, and then it transforms to a pupa. After the adult wasp issues the cell is cleaned out by the workers, and is used again by the queen, and, as the whole period from the laying of the egg to the emerging of the full-grown wasp is about a month in the northern states, a comb made early in the season serves for several successive generations.

As a rule the males and queens are not developed until toward autumn. At this time larger cells are made for the reception of the eggs which are to produce these forms. Thus if a large wasp nest be examined it will be seen that the top combs contain smaller cells and all of the same size, while the lower combs contain larger cells. This habit which the social wasps have of beginning at the top and building downward was what suggested to Gulliver's Laputan philosopher that they should begin by building the garrets of every house first of all and then gradually working down to the lower stories and the cellars.

The most notable of the social wasps in the United States is the bald-faced hornet (Vespa maculata) above referred to. It builds the enormous paper nests commonly seen attached to the branches of the trees. The great Vespa crabro or hornet of England and Europe, which is the species most commonly referred to in English books of reference, was accidentally imported into this country many years ago and established itself in the vicinity of New York City. I believe it was first discovered there by Mr. James Angus. It has since spread and multiplied very slowly, and is not known to occur very far from the place where it was originally discovered. It is rarely found in parts of Long Island and New Jersey. There is also an unconfirmed report of its establishment near Charleston, S. C. This wasp, which is more yellow in color, builds preferably in the trunks of old trees.

The smaller yellow-jackets (Vespa germanica and V. cuneata) build their nests above ground, in or beneath stumps or stones, and in excavations in the open ground. The underground nests are frequently very large, sometimes more than the size of a halfbushel basket. Access to these nests is gained by a single (rarely two) small opening which leads directly from the center of the nests. The loose paper covering is not as tough and thick as that with the big hornet.

These large underground nests may be exterminated, when their location is discovered, by pouring in a little bisulphide of carbon. The time of the application, however, should be chosen, and it should be after dusk; otherwise there is great danger of being stung. The colonies in the large hornets' nests are rather easily destroyed about nightfall by drenching them with a bucket of kerosene. This should be done late rather than early, because just at dusk a few late-returning workers will "raise Cain" over the destruction of their home.