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Mud Nest

On April 15, 2013 · Category: Nests, Wasps and Hornets · Add Comment

Subject: mud nests or cocoons?
Location: Grand Junction Colorado
April 13, 2013 6:38 pm
We found these under a wood deck. Somewhat similar to ’earth’/mud nests made by wasps, but I am pretty sure that yellowjacket wasps are not what made these. They are about 1” long.
Signature: shreddly phreddly

Mud Wasp Nest

Dear shreddly phreddly,
We agree that this is a Wasp Nest, but it is not a Yellowjacket Nest. Yellowjackets are social wasps that build a paper nest. The mud nest builders are solitary wasps. Wasps in several different families construct nests of mud that are provisioned with food for the developing larvae. Breaking one of the cells to view the contents might help to identify the nest builder more specifically.

Mud Wasp Nest

Daniel:
thanks! yeah, we were sorta freaktout when we turned the deck over and saw that assemblage (a dozen, i think). It did look somewhat like something out of a science fixion or horror movie!
Jay K (shredd Phredd)

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What’s That Nest from Australia???

On March 11, 2013 · Category: Nests Tagged With: mysteries, WTB? Down Under · 5 Comments

Subject: No bug photo but whose nest is this?
Location: Hawkesbury Region, NSW, Australia
March 9, 2013 4:05 pm
Found this little work of art in our driveway but have no idea what made it. It is the entrance to an underground nest/burrow, the actual hole in the ground looks similar to an ants nest with a small hole around 5-10mm in the ground. The walls of the outer funnel-shaped entrance seem to be made of little balls of sand or mud, obviously from the dirt out of the hole. The structure stands about 3cm tall and the top of the entrance funnel would be approx 2cm across. Something was seen flying out of it then back in but we weren’t close enough to see what it really was, perhaps a wasp? Didn’t see anything else in terms of bugs and unfortunately the structure has since been destroyed (they picked a bad place to build this!)
Very interested to know what might make this tiny work of art.
I am in Hawkesbury region of Sydney, Australia.
Signature: Tracy

Unknown Mud Nest

Dear Tracy,
We apologize for the delay, but responding to you has been on the back burner since we first opened your file and inspected the image. We agree that the most likely builder is a wasp though our initial thought was perhaps a crayfish burrow. Since you saw the tenant flying in and out, we would discount the crayfish possibility. We can’t imagine why a wasp would need a chimney structure like this, except perhaps to help in the location of the nest. Perhaps one of our readers will have a thought on this matter.

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Mysterious Nest from India

On March 3, 2013 · Category: Nests Tagged With: mysteries · 3 Comments

Subject: Is this a insect egg nest?
Location: Chennai , India
March 2, 2013 10:26 pm
Hello Daniel ,
Thank you very much for helping with previous queries.
Here is another photograph which looks like some insect egg nest or cocoon approximately 1 cm in size. It was attached to the backside of the leaf. Apart from other things used to construct this structure you can see one shell and a piece of polythene sheet.
I saw a small shell attached to another similar nest. Was this done purposely or it’s just a coincidence.
I went through your website and read about bagworm. Is this related to bagworm?
Signature: Seema Swami

Mysterious Nest

Hi Seema,
This pile of debris does have the appearance of being a deliberate construction, but we are uncertain what creature could have made it. It is NOT a Bagworm. It most closely resembles the protective covering constructed by the larvae of certain Neuropterans like Lacewings. Some Lacewing Larvae construct a protective covering that includes the remains of their meals. We do not believe this is a nest to protect eggs.

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Orange Potter Wasp provisions nest with Caterpillar in Australia

On December 26, 2012 · Category: moth caterpillars, Nests, Potter and Mason Wasps Tagged With: food chain, WTB? Down Under · Add Comment

Subject: aussietrev Orange Potter Wasp stocking the Larder
Location: Nth Burnett. Queensland Australia
December 26, 2012 5:05 pm
Hi guys,
This Orange Potter has been busy for days building a large nest on an old pulley in my shed. Here she is shoving the second of two caterpillars into one of the chambers. The end of the caterpillar is pushed into the chamber and then she pushes it bit by bit until the entire caterpillar is inside, then quickly seals the chamber over. To her right is a freshly sealed chamber as well shown by the slightly paler disc of mud. At some stage in her foraging she has been in contact with a spider web and has a small spider hitching a ride on her leg.
Signature: Aussietrev

Orange Potter Wasp provisions nest with Caterpillar

Hi Trevor,
Thanks for sending your beautiful photo of a beautiful Potter Wasp provisioning her nest. We found her identified on the Brisbane Insect website as the Orange Potter Wasp, Eumenes latreilli.

Hi Daniel ,
A bit of extra information. Watching her build the next chamber and start to provision it, after inserting the first caterpillar and flying off to find a second, a small (I think tachinid) fly that had been sitting patiently nearby flew into the opening and, I assume, took advantage of her work to lay some eggs of its own.
I would think this would be a symbiotic relationship rather than parasitic of the wasp larvae as it would be doubtful the fly would be sufficiently strong to break out of the mud nest on its own. Probably share the caterpillar bodies until the wasp makes an escape hatch for them? What do you think? Have you heard of this behaviour before?
regards,
Trevor

Thanks for the update Trevor. Kleptoparasitism, or one insect (or other creature) stealing food that has been gathered by another, is common enough. We can’t think of what the advantage of sharing food would have for the Potter Wasp. You are right that an adult Tachinid Fly does not have the type of mouth that could chew its way out of the pot. Let us know if a Wasp emerges from that particular chamber or if it remains as a sealed crypt. Perhaps there is some enzyme or other substance secreted by the Tachinid Larva that makes it unpalatable to the Potter Wasp Larva to avoid being eaten.

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Bald Faced Hornet Nest

On November 17, 2012 · Category: Nests · Add Comment

Subject: Wasp Nest
Location: Southeastern North Carolina (Swampland)
November 17, 2012 4:27 pm
Hi Bugman!
I live in southeastern North Carolina. My dad got attacked by a bunch of wasps when going to his deer stand this fall. He didn’t get stung (supposingly) but he described the wasps as very aggressive and swarming. Here is a picture of the nest. He said they were bees, but upon looking on the nest, Im pretty positive they are bees. Someone called them ”bee-wasps” and apparently thats something different from yellowjackets. Here is the picture!
Signature: Ryan

Bald Faced Hornet Nest

Dear Ryan,
This looks to us like the nest of the Bald Faced Hornet. The Bald Faced Hornet is a black and white social wasp.

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Mystery Nest from Israel

On November 4, 2012 · Category: Nests Tagged With: Unidentified · Add Comment

Subject: Found this weird hive/cocoon’s next
Location: Israel
November 3, 2012 6:59 am
I have no idea what it is, it was on the wall behind a photo. We haven’t touched it yet and we have no idea what it is, I’ve never seen anything like it before, it looks like cocoons inside a hive..
Signature: Nicole

Mystery Nest

Hi Nicole,
This really is an interesting looking nest. It appears that the cells are made of sand. Our best guess on this is that this might be a wasp nest of some type. The creatures in the cells appear to be pupae. Many female solitary wasps build nests, some of mud, that they provision with paralyzed prey that the developing larvae feed upon. This might also be a Bee Nest that was provisioned with pollen. We will try to get a second opinion from Eric Eaton.

Mystery Nest

Eric Eaton agrees with our assessment.
Looks like wasp or fly pupae inside the individual cells. Rearing them out to adulthood would tell you what they are. Otherwise, I need to know what, if any, debris is in each cell with them. Pollen = bees; insect or spider parts = wasps; other, or none probably = flies.
Eric

Thanks Eric,
We came to the same conclusion. We responded about the wasp and bee possibilities, but we only thought the fly possibility.

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Potter Wasp and Gulf Fritillaries

On September 22, 2012 · Category: Brush Footed Butterflies, Nests, Potter and Mason Wasps Tagged With: food chain · Add Comment

Subject: Potter wasp and Gulf Fritillaries on Passion Flower vine
Location: Tucson, AZ
September 22, 2012 12:56 am
Good evening!
I thought you might enjoy these photos of some of the many visitors to my passion flower vines. In the first photo you’ll see a pretty little potter wasp constructing her nurseries. Any idea what species she is?
The second photo I like to call ”synchronized chrysalis exiting competition”. I’m fairly certain my 4 vines are responsible for about 90% of the population of Gulf Fritillaries in Tucson. I’ve had so many caterpillars my poor vines are barely clinging to life. Do you think the potter could be using the smaller caterpillars to feed her young? It would be great to get some natural crowd control.
I’ve also seen several tiny lacewing larvae on the vines, carrying around bunches of junk (and ant bodies) on their backs for camouflage- I was able to identify them using your site. They’re so cool, but my camera’s not sophisticate enough to get a good shot.
Love your site!
Signature: Emily

Potter Wasp constructs Pot

Hi Emily,
This is a beautiful Potter Wasp and your photo is exquisite. One of the closest color matches we could find on BugGuide is Dolichodynerus tanynotus, but alas, there is no species information. There is a single submission from San Diego. Further research on bugGuide makes us inclined to speculate that this is actually Eumenes bollii, which appears darker than your individual, however, the markings appear very similar, especially this image from San Diego. The BugGuide genus page for Eumenes states: “Females make a pot of clay as a nest, provision with moth and beetle larvae. Wasp places eggs on wall of cell, then provisions” though we would not discount the possibility that your individual is provisioning her nest with Gulf Fritillary Caterpillars, especially since the subfamily page on BugGuide indicates: “Most provision with caterpillars.” Thank you for proposing such an interesting hypothesis. Though there is no actual documentation, we are taking creative license and tagging this as a Food Chain possibility.

Simultaneous emergence of Gulf Fritillaries

Daniel,
Thanks so much for replying to my letter. I think you nailed it with the Eumenes bollii identification, the photos on BugGuide look just like her. I’ve always wondered what sort of organs/tissues run through that tiny wasp waist from the body that keep the abdomen alive…
Thanks again,
Emily

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Nest of a Grass Carrying Wasp

On August 8, 2012 · Category: Crickets, Camel Crickets and Mole Crickets, Nests, Thread Waisted Wasps Tagged With: food chain · Add Comment

Subject: bug and nest material
Location: Rochester, New York
August 7, 2012 1:50 pm
Hi. I keep getting bugs of some kind nesting between wood casement windows and the jambs…a teeny tight space. Sometimes I find clumps of dry grass, other times little dried mud tubes(maybe a different species). I’m amazed they can squeeze in there and can’t figure out what the attraction is. They aren’t damaging the wood, but messy when I open a window that’s been closed for months, and the stuff falls into the room. In today’s cleaning I found actual bugs (a brighter green than the photo shows). Thank you!
Signature: Hiawatha

Grass Carrying Wasp Nest provisioned with Tree Crickets

Dear Hiawatha,
The insects in your photo did not make this nest. They are what appear to be Tree Crickets and they are the prey of the nest maker, a Grass Carrying Wasp in the genus Isodontia. According to BugGuide: “Larvae are fed Grillidae (particularly tree crickets) or other Orthoptera” and “These wasps commonly make their nest in the narrow track found above outer windows.” See BugGuide for additional information on the Grass Carrying Wasp. The mud nests you found were most likely the nests of Mud Dauber Wasps and they are generally provisioned with spiders to feed the larvae.

Grass Carrying Wasp Nest

Wow…thanks, Daniel! That was a fast response and very comprehensive. I really appreciate your taking the time to answer. There’s probably nothing I can do to keep the grass carrying wasps out of the narrow track above the windows, but at least I know what I’m up against.
Again, thanks very much,
Jim Dierks
Rochester, NY

Hi again Jim,
Neither Grass Carrying Wasps nor Mud Daubers are aggressive species and you should not fear getting stung.

Good to know, Daniel. Thanks. I’ll just let the little guys do their thing, and with all the other troubles I’ve had with these windows, at least the wasps are just using some convenient space and not harming the windows at all.
Regards,
Jim Dierks

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Mud Nest

What’s That Nest from Australia???

Mysterious Nest from India

Orange Potter Wasp provisions nest with Caterpillar in Australia

Bald Faced Hornet Nest

Mystery Nest from Israel

Potter Wasp and Gulf Fritillaries

Nest of a Grass Carrying Wasp

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