HYMENOPTEBA. 



375 



Before dying, these insects destroy all the larvae which are not 

 hatched at the first approach of cold weather. In spring the females 

 revive, and begin alone the construction of a new nest. They then 

 lay workers' eggs, which are not long in furnishing them a whole 

 regiment of devoted and active assistants. These traits are pretty 

 nearly the same for the different species of wasps, the only dif- 

 ference being in the way in which they build their nests. 



We have already said that the common wasp makes its nest in 



Fig. 350. Exterior of Wasps' Nest on a branch of a tree. 



the ground. A gallery, of about an inch and a half in diameter, 

 leads to the nest, situated at a depth which varies from six inches 

 to two feet. "It is," says Reaumur, "a small subterranean town, 

 which is not built in the style of ours, but which has a symmetry 

 of its own. The streets and the dwelling-places are regularly 

 distributed. It is even surrounded with walls on all sides. I 



