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Project Noah Nature School
Sceliphron caementarium
This was a very big wasp. It was about 2 cm long and was sort of looking for something on the ground for a very long time. Then, PN user mmarchiano (http://www.projectnoah.org/users/mmarchi...) let me know that the wasp was gathering "up wet mud to mold into a tube on the eves or side of a building. It then paralyses a species specific spider, deposits it in the tube and lays an egg. The female wasp will put several spiders and eggs in each tube it consructs and then seals it . The larva hatch and devour the paralyzed but living spiders before forming a pupa, over wintering and hatching out as pollen feeding adults in spring."
There are 30 known Sceliphron species distributed worlwide.
It was the only one spotted around and apparently they are solitary wasps.
Spotted on Jan 4, 2013
Submitted on Jan 4, 2013
9 Comments
Now, comparing both the wikipedia picture and the ones we took, I wonder if this kind of wasp can change the angle of its sting because the angle is notoriously different in the pictures and after observing it for a while I had thought that its body was like that, with that stinger/body angle and I even wondered how it stung...maybe it's sort of like a scorpion tail and it can move it up and down... I wouldn´t try it though...jeje ;). Greetings
Gerardo, have you noticed that the wikipedia link we will now both be referring to has a picture with a sort of similar wasp but with a different leg coloration? Just commenting... greetings
Thank you very much Aaron. And yes, it had rained a lot in the area so they had plenty of mud to gather.
Oh, yes, the best time to observe them is when they're gathering mud. I've even wet down some areas to attract them so I could watch them. :-) Nice spotting, Patty!
Very interesting comment mmarchiano!! I would had never imagined the wasp was doing such a thing! Thank you for the comment Maria dB and Gerardo too once more. =)
Nice spotting!
Fantastic spot Patty ! i have some one similar maybe the same!
Black and Yellow Mud Dauber /Sceliphron caementarium
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/161...
Thank you very much Gilma, it is very nice indeed. Maybe you are right and it was getting wet soil to build, I hadn´t thought of that. Thanks!
Nice looking wasp!! Perhaps filling up to go build the nest? I had some wasp come to the wet soil of my planters to get mud to build before, although, they were not as nice looking as yours.