. Economic entomology for the farmer and fruit-grower. Beneficial insects. 4o6 AN ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY. protected combs in the shelter of a projecting ledge of rock, or under the eaves of houses, or even under fence boards ; while yet others build their globe-shaped structures openly upon bushes, and these are usually termed " ; The material of which the nest is composed is a sort of wood-pulp paper. The insect scrapes a small bit of wood-fibre from an exposed surface, mixes it with saliva, kneads it into shape, and then, by means of the mandibles and forelegs, spreads it in a
. Economic entomology for the farmer and fruit-grower. Beneficial insects. 4o6 AN ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY. protected combs in the shelter of a projecting ledge of rock, or under the eaves of houses, or even under fence boards ; while yet others build their globe-shaped structures openly upon bushes, and these are usually termed " ; The material of which the nest is composed is a sort of wood-pulp paper. The insect scrapes a small bit of wood-fibre from an exposed surface, mixes it with saliva, kneads it into shape, and then, by means of the mandibles and forelegs, spreads it in a thin layer and attaches it to the surface at which the nest is to be started. Layer after layer of fibre is added in this way until the nest is completed. The enormous structures made by the "white-faced" wasp, Vespa macidata, are excellent examples of what can be accomplished by num- bers and persistence. As to feed- ing habits, these social wasps are usually predaceous, but they are also fond of sweets, and may often be found on flowers, gathering «,u-. r A ,' ^ 1 , honey, or on ripe fruits, sucking White-faced wasp, yespa viaculata. _ -' ' t- ' a their juices. We also find them occasionally in butcher-shops, and they have a fondness for chewing into raw meat and lapping the blood. They feed their larvae honey and other plant juices, and also the masticated frag- ments of insects. That is to say, they prepare the animal food by first chewing into a pulp before feeding it. Two types of these wasps are common throughout the United States,—the first rather slender, with a spindle-shaped abdomen, and usually a more or less red-brown color, often marked with yellow. These belong to the genus Polistcs, and they build their paper combs openly,—that is, without any covering, and sus- pended by a single, short, central stalk. The colonies rarely become very large, but they are very numerous in most parts of the country. The true "wasps," or members of the gen
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbenefic, bookyear1906
