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Mason wasp nest

Mason wasp nest

Pison spinolae Shuckard
Hoki ki te He aha tēnei pepeke? Back to What is this bug?
New Zealand Mason Wasp [Pison spinolae] nest. Image: heymilly / CC-BY-NC

New Zealand Mason Wasp Pison spinolae nest. Image: heymilly / CC-BY-NC

Pūtoi
Order
Hymenoptera
Whānau
Family
Sphecidae
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Te Rahi

  • Each cell about 20 mm long
  • Line of cells may be many centimetres long.

Size range

  • Each cell about 20 mm long
  • Line of cells may be many centimetres long.

Te Tītaringa

  • Mason wasp is native, found throughout New Zealand

Distribution

  • Mason wasp is native, found throughout New Zealand

Te Huringa Ora

  • 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

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
New Zealand Mason Wasp [Pison spinolae]. Image: Steve Kerr / CC-BY Image
New Zealand Mason Wasp Pison spinolae. Image: Steve Kerr / CC-BY
New Zealand Mason Wasp [Pison spinolae] nest. Image: heymilly / CC-BY-NC Image
New Zealand Mason Wasp Pison spinolae nest. Image: heymilly / CC-BY-NC
New Zealand Mason Wasp [Pison spinolae] nest. Image: Robin Wardrop Image
New Zealand Mason Wasp Pison spinolae nest. Image: Robin Wardrop