The effects of micro-gravity on hornet's nest building and activity.

Principal scientific objectives: 1.) Comb building by hornet workers in micro-G: randomness of orientation, structural integrity, delay or rapidity of construction, all as a function of developmental state of the hornet. 2.) Dark-light effects on building hornets--will light provide building cues? 3.) Effect of domicile geometry on building practices--will the hornets build in spherical, domed or cube-shaped containers? 4.) Semiconductive properties of hornet cuticle and comb--will these be different than in the controls? Will the yellow granules developed in space be physico-chemically different from control granules? 5.) Post flight experiments--Will the hornets returned from space--build and oviposit as usual? Will the laid eggs embryonate? Will the comb be orientated as usual? How about other parameters of orientation (geotaxis) and social behavior (thigmotaxis)? Will there be any changes in the dominant gut microflora of returned hornets?