“At first,” said Uncle George, “they are fed on animal food, and this keeps the queen wasp hunting insects all day long. As they grow older, they are fed upon honey.
Nest of Wasp in Spring. A. Outer wall. B. Inner wall. C. Air space. D. Cells with larvæ. Same Nest in Autumn. A. Combs of cells. B. Supporting pillars. C. Entrance. DD. Inner and Outer walls. E. Air space.
“The wasps which come from these first eggs are ‘worker’ wasps. As soon as they are hatched out, they begin to enlarge the nest. This they do by removing the inside wall and building a new and larger outer wall. This is done from time to time, until at last the nest becomes as big as an ordinary-sized turnip. While this is going on, more and more cells are being built inside, until at last five or six large combs of cells fill the inside of the nest. The queen wasp lays an egg in each cell as it is formed; and the worker wasps gather food and nurse the young grubs until they become perfect wasps.
“By and by some young queens, or female wasps, are hatched out. These lay eggs, and soon the population the paper nest numbers many thousands.”
“And that is why the gardener kills every wasp he sees in spring time,” said Frank.
“Every wasp we see in spring,” said Uncle George, “is a queen wasp. If allowed to live, each queen would become the founder of a nest and the mother of thousands of wasps.”
“But why destroy the wasps?” asked Tom.
“Because wasps are very destructive and dangerous insects,” said Uncle George. “They destroy our best fruit, and their sting is poisonous, sometimes causing death.”
