264 



ELEMENTARY ENTOMOLOGY 



digger-wasps in their habits, making burrows in the earth or in 

 wood, or forming their nests of mud and provisioning them with 



insects. One of our common 

 species (Eumenes fraternus] 

 makes a little mud nest on 

 the twigs of bushes and trees, 

 which looks like a miniature 

 water-jug. The young are fed 

 on caterpillars, and enjoy 

 cankerworms when these are 

 available. Other species of 

 this family look like small yel- 

 low-jackets. The Social-wasps 



FIG. 419. Female Sphecius speciosus carry- 

 ing cicada to her burrow. (Natural size) 



(After Riley, United States Department of 

 Agriculture) 



(Vespidae} live in colonies and, be- 

 sides males and females, have a 

 form of undeveloped females known 

 as workers, all of which are winged. 

 They build their nests either in the 

 ground or attached to bushes, trees, 

 or buildings, and construct them of 

 paper made from bits of wood chewed 

 up and formed into a paste, for they 

 discovered the possibility of making 

 paper from wood pulp long before 

 man thought of it. They are very 

 jealous of their homes and enforce 

 a wholesome respect for them upon 

 whoever even accidentally disturbs 

 them, as every one who has attacked 

 a nest of yellow-jackets or hornets is 



FIG. 420. The fraternal potter 



wasp (Eumenes fraternus} and its 



earthen nest 



(Photograph by Weed) 



