Wasps 



The delicate, white, elon- 

 gate egg of the wasp is 

 laid under the middle leg 

 of the Cicada and when 

 it hatches the larva sticks 

 out its head and begins 

 at once to draw nourish- 

 ment from between the 

 , segments of its victim. 



Fig. 9. Cicada in burrow of Sphecms, with full- r~^ , , 



grown larva of digger wasp feeding. * e egg hatches in tWO 



(From insect Life.) or three days and the 



larva attains full growth in a week, or a little more. It feeds 

 entirely from the outside 

 and when full grown spins 

 a white silken cocoon which 

 is finished at the expiration 

 of two days. The word 

 silken is somewhat mis- 

 leading, since it is mixed 

 with much earth. When it 

 is finished, about a dozen 

 curious, porelike openings 



are seen in the side of the 

 cocoon, the function of 



Fig. 10. Larva of digger wasp spinning its 

 cocoon. (From Insect Life.) 



f 



Fig. 1 1. Sphecius speciosus: a, larva; , pupa from below; 



c, same, from side natural size ; d, head of larva ; 



e, labium of same ; f, maxilla of same 



enlarged. (From Insect Life.) 



24 



