Mason wasp nest
Mud cells containing eggs and larvae. Photo from Robin Wardrop
Pison spinolae Shuckard
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Sphecidae
Size range
- Each cell about 20 mm long
- Line of cells may be many centimetres long.
Distribution
- Mason wasp is native, found throughout New Zealand
Life History
- The female builds a nest of several cells made of mud, often in folds of curtains or keyholes
- She lays an egg in each cell and provides a paralysed orb web spider as food for the emerging larva
- Makes a whining noise while processing the mud for the nest
- Adults eat nectar
