44 BEES AND WASPS [CH. 



grasps a shred of fabric, be it curtain or straw or 

 what not, between her mandibles; folds her wings 

 beneath her body and becomes dormant ; the claws 

 on her feet take little, if any part, in holding her in 

 position. In this state she is capable of resisting a 

 surprisingly low temperature. I have known a hiber- 

 nating "queen" exposed to a temperature of 10 F. 

 (22 F. below freezing-point) without any ill effects. 

 On the other hand unseasonable warmth awakes them 

 and they are then liable to disaster. I have seen 

 "queens" on the wing out of doors on December 26th 

 and on February 7th. Hence a severe winter in all 

 probability is favourable to wasps and likely to be 

 followed by an abundance of "workers" in the follow- 

 ing summer ; whereas if the winter be mild with a few 

 intermittent "snaps" of hard weather many prema- 

 turely awakened "queens" are killed. 



The first business of the "queen" duly aroused by 

 the warmer days of spring is to find a suitable spot 

 for her nest. In April and May she is often to be 

 seen prospecting along hedge-banks and walls for an 

 eligible building-site. If she be a ground-builder, 

 and we will consider one of these species as they are 

 the most common, she will probably pitch upon an 

 old mouse-hole, or mole-run, as the favoured spot. 

 The surroundings of the site are carefully surveyed 

 by the "queen" in order that she may know her 

 bearings and be able to return home without loss 



