14 WASPS AND THEIR WAYS 



Another class has taken the important 

 step of living in colonies, its colony in one 

 respect resembling that of 

 the bumble-bee rather than 

 the highly organised com- 

 munity of the hive bee. For 

 ^, the colony disappears at the 

 r^^^^ close of the summer, only 

 the perfect females surviving to begin the 

 circle again next season. 



The social wasps build combs of hexag- 

 onal cells, like those of the bees. But 

 instead of secreting w^ax for it, they manu- 

 facture paper of wood-fibre ; and instead of 

 standing the comb on its edge, most of 

 them suspend it mouth down. 



How came bee and wasp to build a simi- 

 lar comb of such different materials ? And 

 why does the wasp hang its comb mouth 

 down where the bee stands its on edge ? 



Did all comb-makers originally hang 

 their cells mouth down ? And did the 

 idea of storing honey cause the bee to 



