Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-21
HABITS OF WASPS.
A Study Character and Variations in
Insects.


From the London Chronicle.
In all natural history there are. perhaps.
no more fascinating and extraordinary
chapters than those which deal with the
habits of ants, bees and wasps. When we
speak of bees and wasps, We generally
think of the social species. These, how
ever. are comparatively few in number,
while the solitary forms much more
numerous. and scarcely. If at all, less in
teresting.
We owe to NJ Fabre, the distinguished
French entomologist, most interesting
and delightful series of observations on
the habits OF insects. Some OF the most
striking are those in which he describes the
solitary bees and wasps. Speaking gener-
ally. We may say that each female con-
StructS a cell, every species having its
own favorite site. She then stores up in
it sufficient supply Of food, which, in
the case of bees, consists of pollen and
honey; while wasps select small animals,
such beetles, caterpillars. spiders, &c
The mother then lays an egg. after which
she closes up the cell and begins another
Generally. though not invariably. she
Many years ago NJ Fabre published some
careful and brilliant observations on the
subject. He found that some wasps sting
their victims in such a manner as to para
lyze, but not to Kill them; and he argued
that this remarkable instinct must have
been original, and could not have been
gradually acquired, since, If the caterpillar
were uninjured 1t would struggle to eS-
CAPE and almost inevitably. destroy the
egg Of the wasp; or, If 1t were killed, 1T
would decay, and soon become -unht Tor
food
Many years ago I suggested that the
facts did not bear out NJ. Fabre's conclu-
sion: that instincts We're by no means so
invariabl as he assumed; that even in
this case some wasps buried their victims
but little injured, some more or less para
lyzed, and others killed outright, without
harm being done to the young wasp. Strik-
ing support of this view Is now given by
Mr.. and Mrs. Peckham, who confirm the
statement that the victims are by no
means always treated in the same manner
Their whole book Is most interesting, and
one of the important results of their in
vestigatons consists In the additional evil
dence which they have collected OF the
great diversity of habits, not only between
different species but also between different
individuals belonging to the same species
Professor Forel and 1 both arrived at sim
liar results in the case of ants. and. as
Mr. and Mrs Peckham point out, 1t is eX-
ceedingly probable that painstakinS
study of any branch whatever of the ami
NAL kingdom would lead to the same con-
cluslon. They tell us that they found
a most interesting variation among the
different individuals, not only in methods,
but in character and intellect. While one
(wasp) was beguiled from her hunting by
every blossom she passed, another stuck to
her work with indefatigable perseverance,
While one stung her caterpillar so careless
Iy and made her nest in SO Shiftless a way
that her young could survive only through
some lucky chance, another devoted herself
to these duties not only with conscientious
thoroughness, but with an apparent craving
after artistic perfection that was touching
to see.
An example of such an apparent craving
is given in the case of a Pompiius Fusci-
pennis who having finished the building of
her nest brought quantity of small OBJ
iects and placed them over the nest-a little
stick. the petal of a faded flower, scrap
of dead leaf. and SO on until ten or twelve
things had been collected.
This certainly appears to have been en-
tirely personal. since in no other examples
P. Fuscipennis did they ever see such per-
feet work again.
Professor Fabre himself. indeed, shows
that instincts are not immutable. For In
stance on one occasion he took two dozen
solitary bees cells from quarry, where
they had been nesting. as he supposes, for
centuries in snail shells, and placed them
In his study with some empty shells and
hollow stems When the young bees came
out, in the following spring. nearly all of
them selected the stalks to build in be-
ing better suited to their use than the
shells.
One of Mr.. and Mrs Peckham's most in
teresting observations Is that of an Am
mophila Urnaria, who actually took small
pebble in her mandibles and used 1t a
hammer to pound down the earth over her
nest
Such examples of what may almost be
called artistic and intellectual gifts are
balanced by many cases of equally surpris-
ing carelessness and stupidity. Some alb
sent-minded wasps cheerfully close Up their
cells, quite forgetting TO supply the neces-
sary food or even 10 lay an egg; others,
when interrupted in their work, appear
incapable of picking UP the threads again.
Yet perhaps we should not be too hasty
in judging these poor wasps when we re-
member that even men are not invariably
intelligent In either what they do or leave
undoRe.
This is not confined to the stupid or
vicious; even the ablest often fail to per-
ceive what afterward appears almost self
evident. / may, for instance, refer to the
fact that the use and effects of Laughing
gas" were discovered by Sir H.. Davy at
the commencement OF the last century, and
taught in the best medical schools for fun
fifty years befase the apparently obvious
idea occurred TO anyone that these prop
critics might be put into actual practice
Other similar facts might be adduced. and
ought to make nus chary OF accusing these
wonderfully industrious little creatures.
whose motives 1t is quite possible we may
not always understand. Wasps are even
buster than the busy bee. / have several
times watched one the whole day. and from
four In the morning till light failed In
the evening she worked without any inter-
val for rest or enjoyment