Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-09-01
How che Digger-Wasps Make Their
Homes,

'ui Ado CUNT again, anu brought
with it such warm, sultry days that it
almost seemed as if no living creature
could stir abroad. Nevertheless, there
was a wonderful deal going on in our
garden. Through the air over the flower
beds fastened hundreds of little people
Some lived in the trees and bushes, others
in the ground, and all were hard at work.
One morning, especially, there seemed
to be something unusual going on; the
buzzing and humming was fairly deaf
ening.
Whirr RI! whirr r-r! What was that
great creature that darted past my face?
And here came another, and another;
why, the garden was full of them!
Big brown and yellow wasps these
strangers were, and all in most desper-
ate hurry. Scores of them were already
lat work digging away in the firmly
packed sand OF the path.
AS these new corners seemed to care
very little who watched them and their
work, Isat down on an upturned flower
pot in the shade Of a friendly lilac, de-
termiAed TO make their acquaintance.
Hardly had / settled myself before one
OF the wasps approached. She seemed
seaaching for something, for she flew
rapidly pack and forth now alightin.
f)r moment now darling away again.
At last she dropped upon the ground
close to me and began to bite the earth
with her jaws. When quite little heap
lay before her she pushed it to one side
with her hind feet and then returned to
her digging. In five minutes he had an
opening big enough to get into; every
time she appeared she backed up out Of
it pushing q hugh load of sand as big as
herself behind her. Soon all around the
hole was high bank of earth, and she
found it necessary to make path across
it, and push her loads over that. Two
hours hard work, and the house was fin
lshed. 1t was very simply planned, and
had only one room down at the end of a
long, narrow passage. But simple as it
was, this little creature had done more
work in two hours than man could do in
day. That is, of course, taking her size
into consideration. And she did not even
stop to rest. Not she! WITH one last look
into the house, to make sure she was leav-
ing all as it should be, she flew away.
In moment her strong wings had taken
her quite out of sight but it was not long
before she reappeared. Back and forth
she fastened, at one moment flying
through the grape, arbor, at the next
wheeling above the cabbage bed. All
this time the object of her search, a fat
young locust, was quietly sitting on a
ate-post, quite forgetting, as even Iocusts
sometimes will, that he had an enemy In
tie world.
a moment later and the wasp's sharp
eyes had found him out; and then, quick
as lightning she darted down upon him,
and pierced him with her ing. When
the locust lay perfectly still, the wasp
seized him and flew off Arrived at her
hole, she tumbled him head foremost in
at the door, expecting him of course, to
fall quite to the bottom. Buther calcula.
tons had been slightly at fault; the To-
Gust was too fat to go i'll, and there he
stuck with his head and shoulders in the
hole and his body in the air. Here was
a dilemma! But my wasp friend was
evidently not one of the overcome by
difficulties of this sort. She flew off
again and this time returned with other
wasps; they crowded round the hole,
and began digging away the earth while
pressed close about the locust. In a
short time they seemed satisfied, for they
stood up and pushed at the object of
their tolls. Slowly lie slia down out of
sight, and she who had brought him hur
ried after. She laii an egg close to him
in her house; then, hurrylng up, began
to carry back the earth she had before
taken out, and in short time the door
was securely closed. Then she scraped
away, and patted down all the loose
earth. till she had made it quite impos-
sible for any evil-minded creature to find
any traces of her home.
The wasp knew very we'll that her egg
would soon hatch out; that the little
white grub, her chick, would at once be
gin to feed upon the locust, which would
supply food till the young one was full
grown.
Cherry rum refuse thrown in the yard
of a Bangor woman was eaten By turkeys
that apparently died from the effects.
After being plucked they were thrown
into heap on the grass. On the nexr
mo ming they were found walking around
tle yard in undress.