Wasp nests are complex structures built by these insects. These homes serve as shelter for the colony and nurseries for their young. The materials and methods wasps employ to construct these dwellings are remarkable.
The Core Building Block
Many social wasps, including paper wasps, yellowjackets, and hornets, primarily construct their nests from wood fibers. Wasps are natural “paper makers,” collecting cellulose from various sources. They often scrape bits of weathered wood from fences, logs, trees, and even cardboard. This material, once softened, forms the foundation of their nests.
Wasps use their jaws to scrape off these wood fibers. The collected fibers are carried back to the nest site. This raw wood material provides structural integrity for the nest.
From Pulp to Paper: The Construction Method
Once collected, wasps chew wood fibers and mix them with their saliva. This process, known as maceration, breaks down the material into a soft, pliable pulp. The saliva contains enzymes that bind the fibers and contribute to the material’s water-resistant properties, essentially forming a natural paper-mâché.
The wasp then applies this paste in layers. As the wet cellulose fibers dry, they harden into a strong material. The queen wasp initiates this process by forming a small stalk, or petiole, as the nest’s foundation, then builds hexagonal cells. As the colony grows, worker wasps take over, continuously adding new layers and hexagonal cells to expand the nest.
Beyond Paper: Other Nesting Materials and Structures
While many social wasps build paper nests, not all wasp species use wood fibers. Solitary wasps, for example, employ entirely different materials and construction techniques.
Mud dauber and potter wasps build nests primarily from mud. They gather mud from wet areas, shaping it into distinct structures. Potter wasps often create spherical or jug-shaped nests, while mud daubers build tubular structures resembling organ pipes. These mud nests are provisioned with food for their larvae, and the mud hardens to provide protection.
Other wasps use soil for their nests, particularly ground-nesting species like certain yellowjackets. They excavate burrows in the ground, creating subterranean nests with interconnected tunnels and chambers. While the nest structure itself can be paper-like, the primary surrounding material is soil. Solitary wasps may also use existing cavities such as hollow plant stems or abandoned beetle burrows for their nests.