Large Mud-nest Wasp - Abispa ephippium
FAMILY VESPIDAE
This page contains pictures and information about Large Mud-nesting Wasps that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia. They are also known as Mason Wasps.
- Body length 30mm, collecting mud to build mud pot.
- This wasp is very large and with strong body, in fact the largest one we found in Brisbane. Its head, antenna and legs are orange-yellow. Its thorax is black with orange-yellow triangle shoulder. Its abdomen is segmented with orange-yellow and black.
- Large Mud-nest Wasps are solitary wasps and build mud pot-shaped nests in sheltered area. The nest is form by a number of mud cell chambers. They collect caterpillars and store in the cell chambers. Each cell the wasp lay an egg. The egg hatches into larva and feed on those caterpillars. After consumes all the caterpillars, the larva turns into pupa, then after a period of time, the pupa becomes an adult. The adult find the mate, build another nest, lays eggs and start another cycle.
- Large Mud-nest Wasps are common in Brisbane. We often see them searching for caterpillars on leaves in gardens and bushes. They are importance in controlling the number of caterpillars in the wild.
- Large Mud-nest Wasps are solitary wasps and build mud pot-shaped nests in sheltered area. It is common to find the wasps on floor collecting soil and mud to build their nest.
- Sometimes we see them collecting mud on loose soil.
- Sometimes we see them on bare land. The wasp moisturizes the soil before collecting it.
- The wasp gathers the mud from a termite mount. It moisturizes the mud wall and then use its jaw to dig out the soils. Which those soils which formed a ball and easier to carry. We noticed that Large Mud-nest Wasp like to collect soil from termite mount.
Collecting soil to build nest
Large Mud-nesting Wasp's nest
- Their nests are usually attached to tree trunks or the sides of buildings, often in small groups. The mud cell started with bell shape.
- Developing nest with unfinished cells Completed nest
- Females lay an egg inside each pot cell which she then capture caterpillars for the developing larvae to feed on. The wasp then covers the cells with extra mud to camouflage them.
- When the larvae are mature they pupate in their pot and emerge as a fully developed adult.
- In late winter, we noticed a partly built Large Mud-nest Wasp nest inside a tree hole. After weeks, the nest remain the same. We knew the wasp had stopped building the nest for some reasons. We decided to collect the nest and see what would come out. We carefully removed the nest from the tree hole, however, we broke one cell. We saw a golden yellow pupa inside, 30mm in length. The pupa turn black and dead a few days later. We check that there should be another cell inside the nest. We keep the nest inside a covered jar.
- After three months later, a Large Mud-nest Wasp came out from the mud nest. It made a hole as the exit. We kept the wasp in the jar. We fed the wasp with some honey water. A week later, we believed no more interesting things will be happen. We let the wasp fly away from our backyard. Of cause, we did it with caution for we know the wasp will sting.
- They are large wasps and of course they will sting. However, we found that these wasps are not aggressive (some other wasp species are aggressive). Every time the wasps flew close to us, we kept motionless and they just circled a few times and flew away.
- Reference:
- 1. Wildlife of Greater Brisbane - Queensland Museum 1995, p117.
- 2. What wasp is that? - An interactive identification guide to the Australasian families of Hymenoptera, 2007.
- 3. Nesting Behavior of Abispa ephippium (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae): Extended Parental Care in an Australian Mason Wasp - Robert W. Matthews and Janice R. Matthews, August 2009.
