How Do Wasps Make Hives?

Wasps make a kind of papier mache and use it to build their nests.

Wasps build their hives, or nests, from a paperlike substance they produce by chewing on wood. Hive wasps, from the family Vespidae, includes paper wasps, hornets and yellowjackets. These wasps live in social groups called colonies. Unlike solitary wasps, hive wasps remain close to the hive and return to it frequently throughout the day.

Queen Wasp

The process of hive making begins with a solitary queen wasp. The queen builds a small, isolated nest either above or below ground in the spring. She fills this nest with eggs and food for the larvae. The eggs hatch, larvae develop, and the infertile females leave the nest to gather food and help build an ever-enlarging nest.

Paper Makers

Wasps have four translucent wings and chewing mouth parts called mandibles. The infertile females venture out in search of wood from trees, poles, fences or other sources. They chew the wood with their mandibles and mix it with saliva, making a type of papier mache. They return to the nest and layer the pulp on the hive, using their mandibles and legs. As the pulp dries, it becomes a tough paper structure.

Locations

Different types of wasps build their nests in different locations. Paper wasps, for example, build their nests on tree limbs and under the eaves of homes. Their nests are not completely enclosed, unlike hornet and yellowjacket hives. Hornets usually build their nests away from homes, on tree limbs in forests, meadows or rural areas. Yellowjackets build their nests underground in animal burrows, hollow trees or wall voids.

Combs

The hives are used for brood rearing. Most wasp species build their combs horizontally, with cells on the bottom of each comb. The combs hold the eggs and larvae. Hornets and yellowjackets build a paper envelope around each comb. This insulates the comb and maintains a comfortable temperature throughout the hive.

Continuous Process

The infertile female wasps continue adding on to the nest from spring through the end of summer. By fall, all of the wasps have died with the exception of the new queens. They spend the winter in hiding and build a new nest from scratch in the spring. The process begins anew.

References

• University of Kentucky Entomology: Hive Wasps
• The Honey Pot: Wasps