Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

More Muddy Wasps

Back in December I noticed this mud clump in the corner of one of the few bathrooms in Green-Wood. I assumed it was a Yellow-legged Mud-auber nest. That’s right, it’s inside: there’s a permanently open window, which is how the mother wasp got in and out last summer. On Saturday I noticed it had a hole in it.
And that the bathroom was full of wasps. Well, three of them, anyway. Turns out there were Common Blue Mud-dauber Wasp (Chalybion californicum). One got out the window while I watched, but I left the door open for the others. On Sunday, the door was still open, and there was one wasp inside.
And another hole. To recap, the mother wasp builds a nest of individual mud compartments stocked with paralyzed spiders for her young. Wasp larva hatches out to a full larder of live food. Eats, grows, pupates, and then emerges the following summer.

mthew

One response to “More Muddy Wasps”

  1. Back to The Mud | Backyard and Beyond

    […] 29, 2022 Uncategorized Leave a Comment Remember earlier this month I found this little mud pile swarming with Common Blue Mud-dauber Wasps? Pretty much every time I’ve gone in there […]

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