A ripper wasp hive is the dwelling of a ripper wasp colony, housing three to five thousand insects in the same nest. Built to protect the swarm from the elements and predators, it is where the queen ripper wasps lay their eggs, larvae are weaned, and food in the form of collected nectar and fruit sugar is stored.
Initially built by a queen establishing a new colony, she instinctively finds a sheltered location and begins construction by chewing soft, weathered tree bark, and then using this papery pulp to fashion the hanging 'stalk' and walls of a small shelter. Within this the first eggs are laid.
As the population of the hive grows, the hive expands around the queen's initial stalk-like construction. Fashioned from wax, woodpulp and the collected blood of animals, an established hive is a complex, multichambered habitat.
Na'vi Culture[]
Na'vi generally avoid ripper wasp hives. Although nectar and wax comb can be harvested, the ripper wasp is fiercely protective of its home and can badly injure or kill far larger animals.
Each ripper wasp nest produces a small quantity of honey which is carefully harvested by Na'vi foragers. It is used in cooking a variety of recipes and sometimes, as a rare treat, left to crystallize in a dried flower head, then eaten on its own.
Source[]
- Hunter's Guide in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.