Social Communities 



being irregularly globular, composed of wax secreted 

 by glands in the insect's abdomen (p. 70), and covered 

 by a dome of leaves and moss. But the Hive-bees 

 (Apis) and their allies, by their habit of storing honey 

 and pollen as food for the winter, make permanent 

 communities, not dependent on the changes of the 



Fig. 174. — Wasp (Vtspa vulgaris. Linn.), and nest (part of the covering of the 

 □est has been removed to show the cells within). 



seasons. Among these insects, too, the division of 

 labour between the queen and workers is perfected ; 

 the construction of the cells and the tending of the 

 grubs is entirely undertaken by the latter, while the 

 queen's business is confined to egg-laying. The 



