Mud Dauber Wasp
Scientific Name: Sceliphron laetum
Size: Total Length 17-25 mm
What does it look like?
The adult’s body is boldy coloured with yellowish to orange and black. The first abdominal segment is long and slender, forming a thin, waist-like petiole.
Where is it found?
It inhabits suitable habitats throughout Australia. Wider spread in Pacific, where it is both naturally occurring and introduced.
What are its habitats & habits?
The Mud Dauber Wasp occurs in a variety of wooded and urban habitats, where adults feed on nectar and honeydew. The female gathers wet clay to construct nests that contain several cells, each of which contains an egg and a paralysed invertebrate, such as a spider or caterpillar, on which the larva feed once hatched. After consuming its meal, the larva pupates within the mud cell before emerging.
This species features in my book A Naturalist’s Guide to the Insects of Australia
