How Do Wasps Build Hives?

Designs

• The design of a wasp hive depends largely on the species of wasp that creates it. Paper wasps tend to build flat, wide hives that are only one cell deep and open to the air, often suspended by only one thin strand on the back of the hive. Yellow jackets build hives in layers with a covering around them. Hornets, the largest members of the wasp family, prefer to build large, egg-shaped nests with multiple layers inside with an entrance in the bottom.

Materials

• The material the wasps use to build a nest is deceptively simple. The wasps first locate dead wood that can be used as building material. They then bite the surface of the wood to remove fibers from it. These fibers are then chewed into fine bits and combined with a sticky saliva. The wasp will then form a ball of "paper" made from this combination.

Construction

• Upon returning to the hive, the wasp uses its mouth and legs to place the paper, forming the edges of the hive. The paper will eventually dry, becoming tough and rigid. As each new cell is added to the edge of the hive, it grows outward. Some species will build to a certain point, then form another layer below the first one and continue this process to produce a nest with multiple layers. These species often cover the entire hive with a protective shell of paper, making the hive waterproof.

Location

• Paper wasps will usually build their hives under the eaves of houses and buildings, rock ledges and other areas protected from the elements. Because they are open to the elements, paper wasp hives face downward to shed any water from rain that may hit the hive. Yellow jacket hives are commonly found in abandoned animal burrows, in trees and inside attics and wall voids. Hornet hives tend to be located away from human habitation in the open, in trees located in fields and woodlands.

Use

• The hive is constructed primarily to store food and provide a location for the queen to lay eggs. She will lay one egg within each cell of the hive. Each egg will eventually hatch and the larvae will grow within the cells, being fed by nurse wasps. Eventually the juvenile wasps will mature and leave the cells, allowing the queen to lay another egg in them.