THE LARGER COMMON WASP 



Vespa germanica. It is so well known by sight that 

 familiarity breeds contempt, and whilst most books 

 will probably say that its hfe-history is well known, we 

 often doubt the veracity of this statement. The build- 

 ing of a nest by the Queen in early Spring, the founding 

 of a colony, the industry of the workers, the use of the 

 drone, and the amazing structure of the completed home, 

 are all very wonderful. The tiers of cells one above the 

 other containing the eggs, grubs, or pupas, the little 

 pedestals which are placed in position so as to separate 

 one tier from another, the lightness in weight, yet 

 strength and stability of the nest, are all of absorbing 

 interest. Then, too, there is the collecting of food by 

 the workers and the feeding of the hungry grubs, the 

 aeration of the entrance hole by the drones, who seem 

 told off for this special purpose, and the great industry 

 and cleverness displayed in finding, tearing off, and 

 carrying building material which consists of vegetable 

 fibre. When the Queen Wasp first completes her 

 nest unaided it is only about the size of an egg-cup, 

 but she soon deposits some eggs, and when these have 

 hatched, and the larvse pupated and emerged, she at 

 once receives assistance from her own children in the 

 gathering of further material, and subsequent enlarge- 

 ment of the home. A piece of Wasp comb containing 

 grubs and pupae was brought to my room at Letchworth 

 Museum one day, and I placed it on a window-ledge 

 inside the room. Next day I found that one or two 

 Wasps were emerging from the cells, and it was interest- 



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