Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1893-10-11
VASES. ooMEsTIc MRTuea
These Inventors OF Papier AIsehe Are In
dustrlous n Nothing More.

These Inventors OF Papier sIache Are In
dustrious II Nothing More.
Like many disagrecable people. tho
wasp, though intolerably in society. is
a paragon of domestic virtue-of the
fussy, Woodworking, grate-and-win.
dow-clcaning kind. Moreover. the
wasp invented papicr mach6, and the
swarm slave at the production of this
patent material with all the energy and
conscious merit of a South Yorkshire
manufacturing community. The nests,
II less beautiful than some enthusiasts
assert, are extremely curious and inter
esting, and in the early stages of their
construction they gain much in Gle
gance from the nature Of the building
material used. The first few cells are
built by the quecn-wasp herself. who.
unlike the queen-bce, is the actual
founder. builder. mother and nurse Of
the infant colony. The nest. begun
early in the spring. is often destroyed.
together with the queen wasp
herself. by the rains OF April
and May; and the extraordiuary
drought Of these months is the key 80
the wasp plague OF the present SUM
rner Roughly speaking. Of the six
hardly distinguishable kinds Of I'm.
gliEh social wasps, the three least com.
mon maize nn elegant pendant nest In
the branches of trees, the others pre-
ferring either hole in bank or some
natural hollow. In the nests Of tho
tree-wasps, the first few cells are hung
under an elegant umbrella roof TO pro-
teet them from the rain; this is then
surrounded with successive layers %
thin papier-mache, opening at the bot
tom, 50 light fialsy and fimsy that hs
whole resembles the gray and crumb.co
ashes Of "a rose, supposing the dow ~
could, when burnt retain. as paper
does its form, while losing weight and
color. The cells are hexngonal. liito
those Of the hive-bee, but being meant
as nurseries, and not for honcy-storcs.
arc built in single layers. each story
being supported by rows OF pillars Of
cellular papier-mache.
The swarm are as busy as ants. each
wasp having It's own set portion of tns
walls 70 complete. But, unlike ruost
ants though their camp Is organized,
their commissariat depends on individ-
unl ezertion. and Il Is the independent
zeal Of the foraging insects that tbs
great wasp nuisance is due One-thirt
Of the colony arc busy all day long %
bringing food 70 the rest. each wasp
getting what it can where 30 can. with
GA aggressive. noisy. headlong indus
Try which will take no denial.
and having just one idea in is
mead. 81 usually suoCseds u.s. cary.
rying 10 out Thirty, or even forty
visits. wss not an uncommon day. work
for one az Sir John Lubboclf's waeps
when The honey which he provided bud
been discovered. Sweet stuRs seems a
necessary part Of their food bat hardly
snVthinQ comes amits 90 them; meat
from the butchers and even garbage
of ali sorts is carried ~ the nest 10 Is
perhaps fortunate that wasps DO NOS
Bite as well as sting for the blood poi.
soning that might follow would prob
ably 81 sorioua 10 has been urged on
behalf Of the wasp that So irills l.es.
and thus plays - useful part in nature.
The plea can hardly be- successful for
ihc wasp kills spiders as well -epoc-
fator.
SO show at All Gale snod grass
recently applied to Her Amuidah
fnaI.a 90 fItr Irur Tfrnf NretUn flUef.