114 WASPS AND THEIR WAYS 



there may have come a cold, rainy spell to 

 which she succumbed, for wasps are deli- 

 cate creatures and perish in large numbers 

 during a bad season. Indeed, they are 

 more dependent upon fair weather for 

 their success in life than are many less 

 hardy-looking animals. 



Even where the brood has begun to 

 hatch, if the queen is lost the workers 

 soon abandon the nest. 



Wasps can often be watched at work 

 on the outer covering of the nest. 



To pursue this particular line of obser- 

 vation, it is well to select a cold and cloudy 

 day, as the wasps are then not so easily 

 excited. 



Dr. Ormerod, who spent a great deal of 

 time studying wasps, has well described 

 the method of nest-building as follows : 



"When a wasp came home laden with 

 building materials, she did not immedi- 

 ately apply these, but flew into the nest 

 for about half a minute, for what purpose 



