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Mystery Nest

While relaxing by our new swimming pool this summer, my boys discovered a mud structure under the deck. Inside, they found dead spiders. Learn about the fascinating Organ Pipe Mud Dauber wasp and its unique nesting habits.

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Mystery Nest

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  1. Mystery Nest • While relaxing by our new swimming pool this summer, my boys noticed a structure that had formed underneath our deck. It appeared to be made out of mud. Each section resembled pipes or straws and was about 4 to 6 inches long. • We used a stick to knock a section of the structure off the deck to examine it close up. It crumbled easily. Inside the tubes we found several spiders that appeared to be dead. • What do you think made this nest?

  2. Anatomy of The Organ Pipe Mud Dauber Click on the link below to learn more about insect body parts. http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/insects/13.html

  3. The Organ Pipe Mud Dauber Read This! The Organ pipe mud dauber (Trypoxylon politum) is a type of wasp in the family Crabronidae. They are fairly large wasps, shiny black with pale hind tarsi. Male organ pipe mud daubers are among the few male wasps of any species to stay at the nest. A male "stands guard" (to prevent theft of prey or nest materials, as well as warding off parasites) while a female is away collecting spiders, and mating typically occurs on her visits to the nest. They typically build their nests in sheltered locations, and large aggregations may form with dozens to hundreds of nests in a small area. Organ pipe mud daubers are also an exceedingly docile species of wasp, and generally pleasant to have around, as they serve to keep spider populations down. Stings to humans are very rare, bordering on non-existent, although if squeezed, they will sting in self-defense. There are a great many other species in the genus Trypoxylon (over 700 of them worldwide), mostly smaller in size and less abundant.

  4. The Female Mud Dauber The Male Mud Dauber

  5. Food Chain Activity *A food chain is a series of organisms linked together in the order that they feed on each other. Instructions:Step 1: Print this page out and complete the following steps. Use the web to find animals in the chain. Step 2: Design and draw a food chain usingthe organ pipe mud wasp. The food chain should include a picture of each animal with it's name written under it. Step 3: Show the order of the food chain by drawing a line with an arrow pointing to the next drawing in the food chain. Links to help you get started: http://www.fcps.edu/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/organ-pipe_mud_dauber.htm http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek020401.html http://www.pollinator.com/beneficials/trypaxylon_politum.htm

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