Pipe Organ Mud Dauber Trypoxylon politum Drury, 1773    
Kingdom Animalia   >   Phylum Arthropoda   >   Class Insecta   >   Order Hymenoptera   >   Family Crabronidae   >   Genus Trypoxylon   

Status:

Widespread in the eastern and central U.S.

Description:

Nest structure is distinctive.

Relationships:

Spider specialists! This wasp species presents little danger to humans but plenty of danger to spiders, especially Black Widows. A female stings its prey, which paralyzes the spider. She then brings the victim to a pipe, where she may fill a cell with 5-20 spiders before laying an egg and capping off the cell. When the egg hatches, the larva feeds on the spiders, then forms a cocoon to overwinter. The following spring, adults emerge from the cocoon, chew an exit hole through the cell wall, and the life cycle of this fascinating wasp continues.

There are 186 records in the project database.

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A female Pipe Organ Mud Dauber in Montgomery Co., Maryland (9/13/2015). Verified by John S. Ascher/BugGuide. Photo by Steve Scholnick. (MBP list)

A Pipe Organ Mud Dauber in Prince George's Co., Maryland (6/8/2021). Verified by Ken Wolgemuth/BugGuide. Photo by Barbara Thurlow. (MBP list)

A Pipe Organ Mud Dauber in Kent Co., Maryland (8/9/2015). Photo by Nancy Martin. (MBP list)

A Pipe Organ Mud Dauber nest in Baltimore City, Maryland (8/28/2013). Most of the young have already departed this nest. Photo by Thomas Wilson. (MBP list)

The distinctive nests of Pipe Organ Mud Daubers (unhatched) in Worcester Co., Maryland (9/6/2014). Photo by Jim Brighton. (MBP list)

A female Pipe Organ Mud Dauber in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (7/25/2007). Photo by Stephen Schueman. (MBP list)

A Pipe Organ Mud Dauber nest in Calvert Co., Maryland (5/16/2014). Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

A Pipe Organ Mud Dauber nest in Frederick Co., Maryland (10/25/2014). Photo by Mark Etheridge. (MBP list)

Pipe Organ Mud Dauber in Calvert Co., Maryland (8/11/2016). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

Pipe Organ Mud Dauber in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (8/30/2016). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

Pipe Organ Mud Dauber nests in Allegany Co., Maryland (6/26/2015). Photo by Mark Etheridge. (MBP list)

An old Pipe Organ Mud Dauber nest in Howard Co., Maryland (9/1/2016). Photo by Nancy Magnusson. (MBP list)

Pipe Organ Mud Dauber in Baltimore Co., Maryland (7/26/2015). Photo by John Dennehy. (MBP list)

Pipe Organ Mud Dauber in Carroll Co., Maryland (2/17/2020). (c) Matthew Beziat, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Matthew Beziat. (MBP list)

Pipe Organ Mud Dauber nest in Washington Co., Maryland (3/24/2018). Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

Pipe Organ Mud Dauber in Howard Co., Maryland (5/14/2020). (c) Matthew Beziat, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Matthew Beziat. (MBP list)

Pipe Organ Mud Dauber in Queen Anne's Co., Maryland (9/17/2020). (c) Matthew Beziat, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Matthew Beziat. (MBP list)

Pipe Organ Mud Dauber in Kent Co., Maryland (3/31/2019). (c) Ashley M Bradford, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Ashley Bradford. (MBP list)

Pipe Organ Mud Dauber in Carroll Co., Maryland (12/2/2023). (c) smuller, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Sue Muller. (MBP list)


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