This week Doc's Nicola Toki decided to take a closer look at a a critter that people may be able to see around their houses – the mason wasp. Their nests are commonly found in places like keyholes, between curtain creases and even coats. When opened, the nests are filled with paralysed spiders. These poor spiders are captured by the females, stung, sealed into cells and eventually get eaten alive by newly hatched wasp grubs – all while unable to move! There is a bit of irony to this story though, while they are eating the spider or soon after, another wasp species could be causing that mason wasps demise!
24 Apr 2020
