Science

Monthly Science: Organ Pipe Mud Dauber Wasp Nest Disassembly

The empty Organ Pipe Mud Dauber Wasp nest popped off the wall with relatively little damage:

Organ Pipe Wasp Nest - overview
Organ Pipe Wasp Nest – overview

The open cells on the back side show the wasps don’t waste any effort on putting mud where it’s not needed:

Organ Pipe Wasp Nest - wall side
Organ Pipe Wasp Nest – wall side

Cracking it in half shows the rugged walls between the cell columns:

Organ Pipe Wasp Nest - cross section
Organ Pipe Wasp Nest – cross section

Several cells contained three or four (thoroughly dead!) spiders apiece, evidently the result of un-hatched eggs:

Organ Pipe Wasp Nest - failed egg - spiders
Organ Pipe Wasp Nest – failed egg – spiders

Each successful cell contained a brittle capsule wrapped in a thin cocoon, surrounded by fragments of what used to be spiders, with an exit hole chewed in the side:

Organ Pipe Wasp Nest - capsule detail
Organ Pipe Wasp Nest – capsule detail

I regret not weighing the whole affair, as all that mud represents an astonishing amount of heavy hauling and careful work by one or two little wasps!

2 thoughts on “Monthly Science: Organ Pipe Mud Dauber Wasp Nest Disassembly”

  1. It’s easy to get a lot done when you’re dedicated to a single task! I remember taking these apart as a kid and again many years later with pictures. Since I’ve personally created a nice cross section I usually don’t mess with them unless removing the old ones, but who knows I might again someday. They are quite amazing and I know a lot of people who would be more than a little freaked out to find out what these are and how they work.

    1. Not watching TV or paging through the Interwebs frees up plenty of time for more important projects! Now, if only I could focus like they do … [sigh]

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