Insect Study 



431 



way of turning around constantly as if she expected an attack from the 

 rear. Her wings, like those of other mud- wasps are not folded fan-wise 

 like those of the yellow-jacket, but are folded by each other over her back. 



The J Hg-builder and her nests. 



LESSON XCVIII 

 The Mud- dauber 



Leading thought — There are certain wasps which gather mud and mix 

 it into mortar with which to build nests for their young. Within these 

 nests, the mother wasp places spiders or insects which are disabled by her 

 sting, for the food of the young wasps. 



Method— }la.ve the pupils bring the homes of the mud wasps to school 

 for observation. The wasps themselves are very common in June and 

 also in September, and they also may be studied at school and may be 

 passed around in vials for closer observation; they do not sting severely 

 when handled, the sting being a mere prick. The purpose of the lesson 

 should be to stimulate the pupils to watch the mud-daubers while buildmg 

 their nests and capturing their prey. 



Observations — i. Where did you find the mud-dauber's nest? How 

 was it protected from the rain?' Was it easily removed? Could you 

 remove it all, or did some of it remain stuck fast? 



2 . What is the shape of the nest ? How does it look inside ? Of how 

 many tubes does it consist? How long is each tube? Were the tubes 

 laid side by side? 



3. Of what material was the nest made? Is it not much harder 

 than mud? How did the wasp change the mud to cement? W here did 

 she get the mud? How did she carry it? With what tools did she plaster 



it? r t. ^. 



4. For what purpose was the nest made? Is the mside of the tubes 

 smooth as compared with the outside of the nest? 



5. Write a little story about all that happens in one of these tubes, 

 including the following points: What did the mother wasp place in the 

 tube? How and whv^did she close it? What hatched from the egg she 

 placed within it ? How does the young wasp look ? On what does it feed P 

 What sort of a cocoon does it spin ? How does it get out of the nest when 

 full-grown ? 



