Sabrina joined the guard wasps outside the nest. They swarmed about the entrance hole, crowding the smoky air –their buzzing loud and angry. Some flew reconnaissance, swiftly identifying Ted as a potential enemy and ready to mount an attack if he came too near.
Soon a new danger threatened. As the fire crept closer, the temperature inside the nest quickly climbed. In response, a convoy of wasps flew to the old birdbath beneath the apple tree on the edge of Beth’s garden. Its shallow base was the perfect shape for them to land safely.
Before long, a thick ring of European wasps surrounded it, gathering water and ferrying the droplets back home in an ingenious waspine bucket brigade.
The efficiency of this operation would have put many a human disaster response to shame. Returning workers
