LABOR INTENSIVE

I first blipped this wasp nest on June 2 when it was a single row of cells. This one wasp has diligently increased the size of the nest so the cells are two and three 'stories' tall. You can see the eggs she has laid in the first row of cells. After laying an egg (one per cell), it seems as though she covers the cell opening with a film before building another row of cells on top. I have never seen more than one wasp working on this, and no others come around to relieve her. I'm curious why there isn't the buzz of several wasps working together and making the typical much larger nest. So methodical and so precise - it's an amazing process to watch. It's not a pretty blip, but I think it's quite interesting.

I also spotted an unusual beetle on a hosta leaf today. (Check it out on Flickr.) I didn't find its type on the internet, but with over 12,000 beetles in the United States and over 350,000 beetle species world-wide, it's no wonder I didn't locate info on this specific beetle.