Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
BugGuide Gathering
Pack Forest
Washington State
July 10-12, 2009
Details...

Photos from the 2009 gathering
 
Photos from the 2008 gathering in Tennessee
 
Photos from the 2007 gathering in Minnesota

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Bees, Ants, and other Stinging Wasps » Apoid Wasps (Apoidea)- traditional Sphecidae » Crabronidae » Square-headed Wasps (Crabroninae) » Trypoxylini » Trypoxylon » Subgenus Trypargilum (Trypoxylon Subgenus Trypargilum) » Pipe organ mud dauber (Trypoxylon politum)
Photo#347135
Old nest and cocoons - Trypoxylon politum
Copyright © 2009 Beatriz Moisset

Old nest and cocoons - Trypoxylon politum
Peace Valley Nature Center, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA
October 21, 2009
The underside of the nest with some of the cocoons still in place. The two corresponding to the exit holes were open and empty. The cell partitions are meniscus shaped, with the concave side facing the exterior of the nest. I think that this is typical of many tube nesters.
There was not a scrap of leftover food to be seen inside the cells.
There are some similarities between these cocoons and the ones I found inside my paper tube nests. See other comments under related images.

Images of this individual: tag all
Old nest and cocoons - Trypoxylon politum Old nest and cocoons - Trypoxylon politum Old nest and cocoons - Trypoxylon politum Old nest and cocoons - Trypoxylon politum Old nest and cocoons - Trypoxylon politum Old nest and cocoons - Trypoxylon politum
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by Beatriz Moisset on 27 October, 2009 - 6:28pm

That meniscus shape,
I've seen cited as an example of an activity in the animal world that corresponds to writing. When building the nest, the mother shapes the ends of each cavity so that the way out is distinctive. The curve functions like an Exit sign, only a tactile one.
… G Whiz, 27 October, 2009 - 7:50pm login or register to post comments

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2009 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by Iowa State University Entomology.

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Site Map
Contact