Pulp Friction

I photographed this specimen of Polistes cubensis in the Cienfuegos Province Botanical Garden (Jardín Botánico de Cienfuegos) in Cienfuegos, Cuba. It was scraping the stem of a plant to get a pulp for the paper comb where the colony resides.

_{"Because the combs they fabricate have a stiff consistency they are commonly named paper wasps." Canon EOS 5D Mark II with EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM; 1/200 sec at f/8, ISO 800 (photo by: author)}

This Cuban species usually locates its combs in a hollow trunk, hanging in a hollow of a mogote, or under the front of a palmetto, where they are protected.

_{The combs are long and narrow, up to 9 feet long, located in sheltered places with their cells on the sides. (photo by: author)}

Tip: Fix both eyes on the wasp and close one, some of you will get a 3-D visual impression.