MUTUAL AID AND COMMUNAL LIFE AMONG ANLMALS 385 



a rather large irregular mass and puts 



into the hole, and lays a few eggs on 



the pollen mass. Tlio young grubs or 



larvse whicli soon hatch feed on the 



pollen, grow, pupate, and issue as 



workers — winged bees a little smaller 



than the queen. These workers luring 



more pollen, enlarge the nest, and make 



irregular cells in the j^ollen mass, in each 



of which the queen la3's an egg. She 



gathers no more pollen, does no mo'*e 



work except that of egg-laying. From 



these new" eggs are })roduced more 



workers, and so on until tlie com- 



munity may come to be pretty large. 



Later in the summer males and females 



are produced and mate. With the ap- 

 proach of winter all tlie worko;s and 



males die, leaving only the ferlihzcd 



females, the queens, to live through 



the winter and found new communities 



in the spring. 



The social wasps — as with tlie bees, 



there are many more kinds 

 of solitary wasps than social 

 ones — show a connnunal life 

 like that of the bumblebees. 

 The onlv vellow jackets and 

 hornets that live through 

 the winter are fertilizi'd 

 females or queens. \\'hen 

 spring comes each ciuet'ii 

 builds a small nest sus- 

 pended from a tree branch, 

 or in a hole in the ground. 

 wliich consists of a small 

 comb inclosed in a ct)vei ing 

 or env(>l()pe open at the 

 lower end. The nest is 

 composed of "wasp paper," 



Fig. 238.— BumMebeos: a. 

 Worker; b, queen or fer- 

 tile female. 



^^ 



Fl<J' 239— The yellow jacket, Vespa. a social 

 Wftiip" a. Worker; b, queen. 



made by clicking !.)its of 



