Vol. xxvi] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 265 



Observations in Southern Pines, North Carolina 



(Hym., Col.). 

 By ABRAM HERBERT MANEE. 



VESPA CUNEATA '- ' V. CAROLINA LlNN. ( HYMENOPTERA.) 



About three years ago Mr. Charles Schaeffer suggested 

 that I investigate the suspicion that the large Vespa Carolina 

 might be a form of V . cuneata. I had observed that Carolina 

 was always female, was always solitary and in spring or early 

 summer was about some large pine stump; that cuneata male 

 was rare and in autumn cuneata female was busy in young 

 pines or was attracted to wet spots on trunks of oaks. 



About noon of October 28, 1914, on a woodsy side road my 

 wife noticed some hornets about a hole in the ground, and as 

 I found them to be females of cuneata I knew my opportunity 

 was at hand. The next day with my nippers I took at the 

 opening about 250 specimens, at first females that were going 

 in or coming out for forage, latterly males who were disturbed 

 by my poking into the nest. Then I removed the covering of 

 leaves and scooping out the contents with my hands disclosed 

 a smooth perfectly bowl-shaped excavation. This was lined 

 with wasp paper. At the rounding bottom was a small thick- 

 disc of comb containing grubs, a few empty cells and, in sealed 

 cells, some pupae and imagines of Vespa Carolina. The sec- 

 ond tier was a larger disc comb, also containing the three 

 stages of Carolina. The third comb was also a perfect disc, 

 nearly seven inches in diameter but thin and with many 

 cells empty, with a few at edge with grubs and with some 

 sealed cells containing pupae and imagines of V . cuneata, 

 some males, some females. The fourth comb was like the third 

 but with more of the cells empty. The fifth and top disc came 

 out in pieces but was entirely empty and looked somewhat dry 

 and old. The cover of woods debris allowed an exit at the 

 right corner of a mouth-shaped aperture. 



Of the 539 free specimens taken 330 were cuneata males, 

 evidently drones somewhat sluggish and abiding in the nest; 

 174 were cuneata females, workers busy at the care and feed- 



