SOCIAL LIFE 



85 



is a closed one, and contains no store of food excepting 

 what may be within the body of the queen. The term 

 queen, as in the case of bees, is a misnomer, since these 

 queens do not rule 1m t are simply the mothers of their 

 respective colonies. The queen ant differs from the 

 queen bee in that she is not jealous, and a number of 

 queen ants may be found living peaceably within the 

 same hive. 



The ant-eggs are small and not easily observed. The 

 larvae are white and legless. Those oblong egg-shaped 

 bodies which are frequently mistaken for eggs are the 

 pupa-cases or cocoons from which the adults, with the 

 tender assistance of their nurses, will emerge. 



Wasps. Wasps, in their habits, are of two classes, 

 social and solitary. Of the former, the hornets * and 

 yellow- jackets 2 are the best known. The hornets build 

 large spherical homes from the weather-beaten wood 

 fibers which they have scraped off, chewed up into a 

 pulpy mass, and then plastered out into thin layers 

 with their deft mandibles. Boys and girls who have 

 been brought up in wooded countries are familiar with 

 the appearance of the large spherical hornets' nest de- 

 pending from some tree or bush. In the fall of the year 

 these deserted nests are sometimes gathered and placed 

 in the stables to repel, as farmers believe, all manner 

 of diseases from the horses kept there. The sting of 

 these wasps, called into use upon the slightest provoca- 

 tion, is much to be respected. Though these insects 

 are somewhat warlike, when approached quietly and 

 cautiously one may have the privilege of standing 



l Vespa sp. -Polistfs .--p. 



