Wasp Paper nest (Fibers in nature)

Oct 21, 2018 • 5:04 AM UTC

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JDua_SD21

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A fallen paper nest of wasp was seen outside my bedroom window. It was empty and probably the wasps had flown away. I picked it up to observe its structure through a foldscope. I was able to see a criss-cross of fibers inter-woven to form hexagonal compartments of a wasp nest.

There are different kinds of wasps and they make paper nests of different size, shape, and even their location varies. Some paper wasps build umbrella-shaped nests hanging on windows and beams or construct football-shaped nests. While, some of the nests are formed underground.
The wasps are expert paper makers. They can turn raw wood into hexagonal paper nests. Usually a wasp queen scrapes bits of wood fiber from fences, posts , logs or plant stems and then breaks the wood fibers down in her mouth, using saliva and water and then flies to her chosen nest site with mouth full of the soft paper pulp. After chewing, the wasp adds the pulpy paste to the nest structure and spreads it out with her mandibles and legs. When it dries; a tough, durable paper is formed. Nests of these type are oriented downward and are suspended by a single filament.
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