236 kansas university science bulletin. 



Purpose of Thesis. 



An account of the biology of almost any wasp must be, for 

 the most part, an account of nesting activities. Nest building 

 and provisioning is the mother wasp's life work. Her in- 

 terrelations with other insects, the food habits of her offspring, 

 and consequently, to a large extent, her economic importance, 

 are directly connected with her nest and its contents. A study 

 of the larva, its habits and modifications in structure, refers 

 back to the nest. Those activities which in no way relate to 

 the nest — the mother wasp's search for food for herself, her 

 avoidance of perils daily, and the idle male's pastimes — those 

 activities are but incidents in the story. The main plot centers 

 about the nest. 



The study of wasps, bees and ants owes much of its fascina- 

 tion to their nesting habits. The features in the accounts of 

 their lives are more than growth and development. A range 

 of talents — useless to ordinary insects — are demanded of them 

 in the building and provisioning of their nests. Their ecology 

 becomes more complex. The nest builders' lives are made 

 purposeful ; their chief aim becomes more than to eat and avoid 

 being eaten. By this labor for their progeny a fascinating and 

 highly developed display of instincts is called forth. 



The Eumenidse have received my special attention both be- 

 cause of their attractive habits and because of their conven- 

 ience for study. The varied architectural skill of the eumenids 

 makes them attractive, for within the group are potters, min- 

 ers, masons, carpenters, and more or less degenerate builders. 

 As solitary insects they offer advantages, in that the activities 

 of the individual insect can easily be isolated and studied. 

 This solitary habit also removes the opportunities for imita- 

 tion, and thus makes instincts more clearly defined. In west- 

 ern Kansas the Eumenidse is an important group, being well 

 represented both in species and numbers. 



A study of the nesting habits of Kansas Eumenidse, then, is 

 the chief burden of this paper. Nine species are to be dis- 

 cussed. So much is it a study of nesting habits, that no wasps 

 whose nesting habits have not been observed are considered. 

 However, with the account of nesting habits are notes on all 

 the other activities of these nine wasps that I observed, and 

 some notes on immature stages. In addition to the biological 

 notes, I have included descriptions of the species discussed. I 



