Inside a wasp nest

Ever wondered what exactly is packed insides a wasps’ nest?

THIS IMAGE IS a CT (computed tomography) scan of a wasps’ nest. When wasp specialist Dr Philip Spradbery found a European wasps’ nest under the eaves of a Canberra house, he had a novel idea – he euthanised the wasps and froze the nest until it could go into a CT scanner. Along with Australian National University (ANU) colleagues Dr Ajay Limaye and Dr Michael Turner, he has created the first 3D images and animations using X-rays. In the scans, published in the journal Antenna, you can see the queen (yellow) and adult workers, as well as larvae and pupae in three combs or layers. The combs are built of a papier-mâché-like material made of chewed-up wood pulp. The smallest features – floating like tiny satellites in orbit – are eggs.