The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1878-08-01
How the Digger-Wasps Make Their
Homes.
IE. A. E.. st. Nicholas for Augusta

IE. A. E., st. Nicholas for Augusta
July had come again, and 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 we're hard
at work.
One morning, especially, there seemed
to be something unusual going on; the
buzzing, and humming was fairly deaf
eniDg.
Whirr r-rl 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 theml
Big brown-and-yellow wasps these
strangers were, and all in a most desper-
ate hurry. Scores of them we're already
hard at work digging away in the firmly
packed sand of the path.
As these new corners seemed to care
very little who watched them at their
work, I sat down on an upturned flower
pot in the shade of a friendly lilac, de-
termined to make their acquaintance.
Hardly had 1 settled myself before
one of the wasps approached. She
seemed searching for something, for she
flew rapidly back and forth, now alight-
ing for a moment-now darting away
again. At last she dropped upon the
ground close to me and begain to bite
the earth with her strong Jaws. When
quite a little heap lay before her she
pushed it to one side with her hind feet
and then returned to her digging. In
five minutes she had an opening big
enough to get into; every time she ap-
peared she backed up out of it pushing
a huge load of sand as big as herself be-
hind her. Soon all around the hole was
a high bank of earth, and she found it
necessary to make a path across it, and
push her loads over that. Two hours
hard work, and the house was finished.
1t was very simply planned, and had
only one room down at the end of q
long, narrow passage. But simple as it
was, this little creature had done more
work in two hours than a man could do
in a 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 leaving all as it should be,
| she flew away. In a moment her strong
wings had taken her quite out of sight
but twas 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 hel
search, a fat young locust, was quietly
sitting on a gate-post, quite forgetting
as even locusts sometimes will, that BIT
had an enemy in the, world.
A moment later and the wasp's SHARP
eyes had found him out; and then, quicl
as lightning, she darted down upon him
and pierced him with her sting. WheI
the locust lay perfectly still, the wasl
seized him and flew off. Arrived at he
hole, she tumbled him head foremostiI
at the door, expecting him, of course, Il
fall quite to the bottom. But her calcu
lations had been slightly at fault; thu
locust was too fat to go in, and there h
stuck with his head and shoulders in tn
hole and his body in the air. Here wa
a dilemmal But my wasp friend wa
evidently not n to be overcome b.
difficulties of this sort. She few Of
again, and this time returned with othe
wasps; they crowded round the hole
and began digging away the earth Will
pressed close about the locust. In
short time they seemed satisfied, for the,
stood up and pushed at the object o
their tolls. Slowly he slid down out o
sight, and she who had brought hin
hurried after. She laid an egg close t
him in her house; then, hurrying uI
began to carry back the earth she ha'
before taken out, and in a short tim
the door was securely closed. Then sh
scraped away, and patted down all tn
loose earth, till she had made it quit
impossible for any evil-minded creatur
to find any traces of her home.
The wasp knew very well that he
egg would soon hatch out; that the Ii
tie white grub, her chick, would at ono
begin to feed upon the locust, whic
would supply food till the young on