Studio Associate / Baldfaced Hornets
As Ray began to remove old siding, decades of paper wasp nests turned up behind every crack. After the rehab was over, baldfaced hornets built their own addition to the papermaking studio.
Both mix chewed wood and saliva to make paper. So what's the difference between the nests of paper wasps and baldfaced hornets?
The nests of paper wasps are the work of a single female and have one layer of brood cells that usually hangs, umbrella-like, from a single stalk.
Hornets build their nests communally. They consist of multiple layers of brood cells enclosed in a spherical paper covering.
If you're not familiar with the remarkable British artist who did the hornet illustration at right, the life and work of Edward Julius Detmold are definitely worth a look.