Story of the Hunter Wasp
STORY
A mother hunting bee was busy hunting and bringing food to her baby in the nest. One day, there was a light knock on the door of the nest. When the baby bee opened the door expecting its mother, there stood a Mrs. Fly instead. "Does your mother feed you well ?" she asked. No sooner had the baby answered yes, than the fly buried the baby in the ground. Then she left her own baby in the nest to eat up all the food the mother bee brought back for her baby. When the mother bee found out, she became furious, threw the baby fly out of the nest, and rescued her baby.
DESCRIPTIONS
This is an illustrated story describing in simple terms the ecology of hunting bees, the only member of the bee family that kills its prey. It is full of a humor that is unique to picture books, such as the mother fly disguised as an old witch. The book also artlessly incorporates the bee's habit of covering its nest before going out to hunt and one can imagine Tezuka's keen interest in insect watching.
