ANTS, BEES AND WASPS 181 



addicted to this habit, and will frequently take possession of holes 

 made by sparrows in thatched roofs. 



The food of wasps, both in the larval and perfect state, con- 

 sists partly of honey and fruit pulp, and partly of animal matter ; 

 the latter normally consists of insects, usually flies ; while the 

 Hornet is said to prey upon the honey bee. 



Although many people are very much afraid of wasps, the 

 insects are not nearly so ferocious as is generally supposed. They 

 rarely if ever sting, unless they are interfered with, and when 

 flying about are perfectly harmless ; even the formidable-looking 

 Hornet is, as a rule, quite peaceably disposed, and unless annoyed 

 or frightened will seldom use its sting. But wasps are very cour- 

 ageous, and will fiercely attack anyone who molests them while 

 they are at work, and will defend their nests against all comers. 



The Solitary Wasps, or Fossorial Hymenoptera, like the solitary 

 bees, construct cells for the protection of their eggs either in 

 burrows in the ground, in the stems of plants, in old walls, or 

 decayed wood ; while some few make little nests of clay, and 

 certain species are parasitic in the nests of bees. There are a vast 

 number of species, and the insects are, as a rule, exceedingly wasp- 

 like, although smaller than the true wasps. Their intelligence, 

 industry, and remarkable habits attracted the attention of philo- 

 sophers more than two thousand years ago. These little creatures 

 can learn nothing from example, as the social insects do, yet each 

 one knows instinctively how best to provide for its offspring, 

 which in the majority of cases it will never see. 



One of the commonest and best -known species is the Wall 

 Wasp, Odynerus parietum, which in June and July may be seen 

 searching over sunny walls. With its strong mandibles it exca- 

 vates holes in the mortar 3 or 4 inches deep, and with the 

 material it has removed the insect forms a projecting passage- 

 way with the end turned downwards, through which it enters 

 and leaves the nest. Having finished these operations to her 

 satisfaction, the Odynerus starts off on a hunting expedition, her 

 prey consisting exclusively of small caterpillars ; having found 

 a victim, she stings it and carries it off to the nest, where she 

 carefully packs it away, curled up in the form of a ring. She 

 repeats this performance until she has a little pile of caterpillars 

 arranged one on the top of another in the nest, and on this she 



