290 COMMON WASP. 



ORDER V. HYMEJYOPTEROUS INSECTS. 



15. WASP TRIBE. 



All the species of Wasps live in society. They form 

 combs or hives, of a substance composed of wood re- 

 duced to a paste. In these combs the females deposit 

 their eggs, and the young ones are produced. 



Hornets are insects of large size, and, in their general 

 appearance, not unlike wasps. They form their nests 

 in decayed trees, or sometimes in old walls. The hole 

 for entrance is seldom more than an inch in diameter. 

 In .these nests, the neuters, or working insects, are first 

 produced, about the month of June. The males and 

 females do not appear until near the month of Septem- 

 ber. The whole number of Hornets in one nest seldom 

 exceeds a hundred, or a hundred and fifty. These in- 

 sects are very voracious, seizing upon and devouring 

 other insects, with great eagerness. The pain produced 

 from their sting is much greater than that from the 

 sting of a wasp. 



Common Wasp. The nest of the Wasp, which is 

 formed at the depth of six inches and upwards, under 

 the surface of the ground, is of a roundish form, and 

 twelve or fourteen inches in diameter. It consists of 

 several stories of combs, each composed of many six- 

 sided cells, for the purpose of containing the eggs and 

 the worms which proceed from them. These cells do 

 not, like those of the bees, contain either wax or honey 



