WASP, Veapa, a Linnman genus of insects, now forming the family yeepidee, a very numerous and widely distributed family, of the order hymenoptera and section aculeata. They are distinguished from all the other hymenoptera by their wings, when at rest, being folded throughout their entire length. The wings of all the wasps exhibit a sim ilar pattern of nervation, with one marginal and three submarginal cells, and an incom plete terminal submarginal cell. Their antennae are usually angled, and somewhat club shaped at the extremity. The maxilla; are long and compressed; there are glands at the extremity of the labnim; the tongue is trifid, its tips laciniated. The body is naked. or but slightly hairy. The general appearance resembles that of bees; the color is usually' black, with yellow markings. The division between the thorax and abdomen is very deep, the abdomen often stalked. The legs are not fitted for collecting pollen, like those of bees. The females and neuters have stings, generally more formidable than those of bees. The larvae have tubercles instead of feet. The wasps differ very widely in their habits, some being solitary, the family evmenida of some entomologists; others social, to which the `name tespidce is sometimes restricted. Neuters' are only found among the social wasps. Some of the solitary wasps make curious burrows in sand, or construct tubes of earthy paste on the shies of walls, in which they form cells for their eggs, at the same time placing there a store of food for the larvae, some of them using for this purpose perfect insects, others caterpillars, which are stung so as to be rendered incapable of motion without being killed. Others make little earthen cells on the stems of plants, and store in them a little honey for their young. The social wasps have various modes of constructing their nests, which are sometimes formed in excavations in the ground, sometimes attached to walls, boughs of trees, etc., and formed of a paper. like, or sometimes a pasteboard-like substance, produced by mixing into a pulp, with their saliva, small particles of woody fiber, torn by their broad and powerful mandibles from gate-posts, palings, the bark of trees, etc. Great diversities are to be seen in the arrangement of the combs within the nest. The combs are made of a substance
to the outer covering of the nest, but generally thicker and firmer. As the nest is enlarged, new paper is made for the purpose, the whole nest being inclosed in the last made envelope, and the inner ones, which sufficed for its former size, are removed to give place to combs. Several inner envelopes are generally found in a wasp's nest, so that paper-making must be a great part of the industry of these insects. 'Me nests of the wasps of tropical countries are often very large, sometimes 6 ft. long, and the com munities very numerous. In colder regions the increase of the community and of the nest is arrested by the approach of winter, when the males and the neuters die; but a few of the females survive, passing the winter in a torpid state iu some retreat, and found new communities in spring. In a community of wasps there are many perfect females —not a single queen, as iu the case of hive bees. Wasps iu their perfect state feed very indiscriminately on a great variety of animal and vegetable substances, as insects, flesh, fruit, sugar, etc. Grapes or gooseberries, especially if over-ripe, are often found to con tain a wasp in the interior. Wasps often invade bee-hives and steal honey. There is a Brazilian species (myropet•a scutetlaris) which stores up honey like bees. 'Wasps may be killed by pouring hot water on their nests; but more easily by the vapor of burning sul phur, when the nests are not in the ground; or ether or chloroform may be used to stu pify the wasps, so that the nest may be safely destroyed. The largest British species of wasps is the hornet (q.v.), found only iu the s. of England. The most abundant species, diffused over all parts of the country, are respa vulgaris and V. media. The former is about eight lines long. The front of the head is yellow, with a black center; the.e are many yellow spots on the thorax, and a yellow band with black points at the poiterim margin of each ring of the abdomen; the rest is black. V. media is very similor, bat rather larger. V. vulgaris makes its nest in the ground; V. media suspends it getter& ly to the branches of trees, but sometimes to the projections of walls.