Editorial photo #11360231 Human Interest
Black Mud-dauber Wasps - Sceliphron
Sceliphron, Also Known As Black Mud Daubers Or Black Mud-dauber Wasps, Is A Genus Of Hymenoptera Of The Sphecidae Family Of Wasps. They Are Solitary Mud Daubers And Build Nests Made Of Mud. Nests Are Frequently Constructed In Shaded Niches, Often Just Inside Windows Or Vent Openings, And It May Take A Female Only A Day To Construct A Cell Requiring Dozens Of Trips Carrying Mud. Females Of Some Species Lay A Modest Average Of 15 Eggs Over Their Whole Lifespan. Various Parasites Attack These Nests, Including Several Species Of Cuckoo Wasps, Primarily By Sneaking Into The Nest While The Resident Mud Dauber Is Out Foraging. Like Other Solitary Wasps, Sceliphron Species Are Not Aggressive Unless Threatened. They Are Sometimes Regarded As Beneficial Due To Their Control Of Spider Populations. This Photo Was Taken At Tehatta, West Bengal, India, On 24/06/2024. (Photo by Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto)
