Lost Colony
by James Temple
Title
Lost Colony
Artist
James Temple
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Wasps are expert paper makers, capable of turning raw wood into sturdy paper homes. A wasp queen uses her mandibles to scrape bits of wood fiber from fences, logs, or even cardboard. She then breaks the wood fibers down in her mouth, using saliva and water to weaken them. The wasp flies to her chosen nest site with a mouth full of soft paper pulp. The site is suspended underneath eaves and overhangs, or in this case a rock ledge.
The nest itself is comprised of hexagonal cells in which the young colony will develop. The queen protects the brood cells by building a paper envelope, or cover, around them. The nest expands as the colony grows in number, with new generations of workers constructing new cells as needed.
Old wasp nests degrade naturally over the winter months, so each spring new ones must be constructed.
Uploaded
April 3rd, 2016
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