Evening star., 1934-08-14

No one can blame the waSps, OF
course, for attempting TO use the
mailbox as a nest.
1t is little house all made to order,
Just waiting for the family to move
in.
There is a neat door in it, and an
upper opening of just the right size
for hasty exit, in case of need.
One drawback exists to this house,
however, from the wasp point of view,
and that is the unwarranted in
truSionS of humanity.
There Is a fellow in gray who comes
along twice a day and pokes pieces OF
paper into it.
Then there are people in the house
who insist on removing from the box
what the fellow has put in.
+ 4
The result is that the wasp's life
in a mailbox house is far from
pleasant.
And those who come to get letters
often drop them in surprise, as the
wasp darts out at them.
This little comedy of the every day
has been going on ever since Spring
The frequent visits to the letter
box by human beings has made it i'm
possible for the insects to build q
home as they would like.
There is no way of knowing whether
1t Is the same wasp which has been
trying all this time, or several OF
them, each in turn led by the lure
Of the little ready-made house.
\ X X X
Perhaps there is fine waspy smell
about the box, by this time, which
sends forth a delectable trail over the
entire neighborhood. When 1t is
picked up by flyer it leads straight
to the front door.
1t would be an interesting expert
ment to remove the box and place 1t
on the back porch to see If the wasps
would follow. They probably would
To each insect its own odor is enticing
and powerful. Those of other crea-
lures often are disgusting and har-
rowing. This is explained dramatic
ally in "The Way of the Bee" written
by a German and published in this
country last Winter.
Wasps are not dependent upon a
start being given them by man, but
are able to build their own domiciles
complete. We have never been able to
see that they select any particular side
of a house for their operations. They
may be observed on all sides, so that
the theory of protection from Summer
rains and winds falls down COM
pletely.
The truth is that the wasp, in any
of its varieties, is able to build a very
neat, compact and weatherproof house
Usually the entrance is at the bottom,
but sometimes there is one at the top,
too, although smaller. This one is on
par with the chimney of a human
habitation. Every householder has
wondered, at some time or other, why
a heavy rain does not come pouring
down the chimney. Occasionally, in
q high wind, a splash Of spray will fall
on the hearth, but not often. No
doubt the hole in, the roof Of a wasp's
nest is guarded by the same prin-
ciple-so little to hit in all the wide
expanse of outdoors.
Some types Of waspS make their
nests in the ground, complicated
structures of many galleries, which
have their counterpart in coal and
other mines dug by man.
The ant is the peer of all insect
earth diggers. 1t can throw up
mounds all over a neat lawn over
night, much to the dismay Of the
owner.
Since its tunnels and chambers are
out of sight, they mean nothing to
the average gardener, who sees only
the worry side Of the trouble they
cause him. While 1t is true that
their underground work is no addi-
ton to garden, they often do