June 1894.] ZaUKISK 1 K. I'aKASITKS OF VeSI'A. 81 



NOTES ON SOME PARASITES OF VESPA. 



I'latc I, lijis. I — 13. 

 By Rev. J. I-. /.\1!RISKIE. 



I'l'spa, from ^'■vcspi/Zio" , the undertaker, whose tluly was to 

 carry off the corpse of the poor for l)urial in the eveiiiiij;', is a very 

 appropriate name for our social wasps, because of their habit of 

 carrying- their prey — larvtv; and imagines of other insects as food 

 for the young. 



These social wasps have tliree forms in the colony — ([ueens, 

 or deveU)ped females ; workers, or undeveloped females ; and 

 males. The cells of the nest arc not used for storing food, but 

 only for rearing the young. The t-ells vary in size to suit the three 

 forms of the colony, the smallest for the workers being constructed 

 llrst, and the larger for the females and males being constructed 

 among the last. The cells are hexagonal in form, and arranged 

 closely side by side in the combs, like those of the honey-bee, but 

 with this marketl difference. The honey-bee hangs the combs 

 perpendicularly, and has the cells projecting on both sides of the 

 combs horizontally, excepting the (|ueen cells, which are remark- 

 ably large anil hang ilownward. The Vespidixi arrange the combs 

 horizontally, and have the cells [)rojecting only from the under 

 side, and so, of course, hanging downward perpendicularly and 

 opening at the lower end. 



In the collection of the .\merican Museum of Natural History 

 New York, are two nests of r<spij maculata L. with some of the 

 combs attached solidly and vertically to the inner surface of the 

 protective covering, which seem to be abnormal instances. 



Polistcs attaches these horizontal combs by pedicels lo twigs 

 and trunks of trees, under surfaces of stones, and eaves of build- 

 ings, but leaves the combs without any protective covering. 



The species of t'espa, comprising our hornets anil yellow- 

 jackets, build their nests in cavities in the ground, in and under 

 stumps, under stones, attached to trunks, limbs and twigs of trees, 

 and under the eaves of buildings. The combs are arranged in 

 horizontal tiers, sometimes as many as eight in number, fastened 

 concentrically, one directly beneath the other, by strong pedicels, 

 leaving a clear passage way between each pair of combs ; and, 

 whatever the situation, the series of combs is always entirely 

 enclosed with a protective envelope of paper, ultimately in the 



