78 INSECT ARCHITECTURE. 



their united bottoms form a nearly uniform level 

 upon which the inhabitants of the nest may walk. 

 We have seen, in describing the economy of the 

 carder-bee, that when a young bee had escaped from 

 its cradle-cell, and so rendered it empty, that cell was 

 subsequently appropriated to the storing of honey. 

 But in the case of wasps, a cell thus evacuated is 

 immediately cleaned out and repaired for the recep- 

 tion of another grub — an egg being laid in it by a 

 female wasp as soon as it is ready. 



When the foundress wasp has completed a certain 

 number of cells, and deposited eggs in them, she 

 soon intermits her building operations, in order to 

 procure food for the young grubs, which now require 

 all her care. In a few weeks these become perfect 

 wasps, and lend their assistance in the extension of 

 the edifice ; enlarging the original coping of ihe 

 foundress by side walls, and forming another plat- 

 form of cells, suspended to the first by columns, as 

 that had been suspended to the ceiling. 



In this manner several platforms of combs are 

 constructed, the outer walls being extended at the 

 same time ; and, by the end of the summer, there is 

 generally from twelve to fifteen platforms of cells. 

 Each contains about 1060 cells — forty-nine being 

 contained in an inch and a half square, and, of course, 

 making the enormous number of about 16,000 cells 

 in one colony. Re*aumur, upon these data, calculates 

 that one vespiary may produce every year more than 

 30,000 wasps, reckoning only 10,000 cells, and each 

 serving successively for the cradle of three genera- 

 tions. But, although the whole structure is built at 

 the expense of so much labour and ingenuity, it has 

 scarcely been finished before the winter sets in, when 

 it becomes nearly useless, and serves only for the 

 abode of a few benumbed females, who abandon it 

 on the approach of spring, and never return for 



