What is a Vespiary?


The word vespiary is related to the now-irregular word apiary, meaning beehive.

apiary - [1654, from L. apiarium, neut. of apiarius "of bees," from apis "bee," a mystery word unrelated to any similar words in other I.E. languages.]
vespiary - [1817, irreg. f. L. vesp-a wasp, after apiary. Cf. med.L. vesparium.] A wasps' nest

When I moved into my small pottery studio behind my house, I was mildly alarmed to find it infested with wasps and yellowjackets. Not really the best working conditions, but I've been a beekeeper in the past and I wasn't as alarmed as I could have been. After all, we're artisans that share 2 similar mediums: paper and mud. I've got big plans to convert the shed into a more paper friendly workspace.