[Bert Kitchen] And So They Build 006 - Paper Wasp From: giraffe@longneck.inc (giraffe~⇔)
Newsgroups: alt.binaries.pictures.artpics
Subject: Re: Critters - KitchenBert_AndSoTheyBuild06-iej.jpg
Date: Wed, 08 Nov 2000 03:05:56 GMT
>*
>*From a educational book for children
>*And So They Build
>*Written & illustrated by Bert Kitchen
>*
>*ISBN 1-56402-502-0
KitchenBert_AndSoTheyBuild06-iej
Paper Wasp
A paper wasp is about to start her colony
and so she builds......
The paper wasp is found in North America, Europe
and North Africa.
Before she lays her eggs, the female wasp uses
her powerful jaws to scrape wood from any post,
fence, or beam that she can find. She adds her
saliva to the wood to create a unique paper
mixture.
Now she begins to build her nest, which hangs
from a plant stem, stone, or board. It takes
the form of a comb made up of hexagonal cells,
in each of which she lays one egg, effectively
gluing it to the base to keep it from falling
out. The comb has no cover, but it is very
well insulated. Inside their snug cells the
eggs will develop into larvae and finally into
adult wasps.