The reader Madalena Martinho found cocoons in the upper gutter of her door in Figueira, Portimão, on September 3rd, and asked Wilder for help identifying the species. Albano Soares, from the Tagis Biodiversity Stations Network – Center for the Conservation of Portuguese Butterflies, responded that these are mud dauber wasp nests of the genus Sceliphron.
These are solitary wasps and completely harmless, even when disturbed. Besides representing no danger, they are excellent pollinators and contribute to controlling populations of night-flying moths that sometimes affect orchards, as that is what is inside these nests as food for the larvae.
Sceliphron wasps live all over the world, except in polar regions. They build their nests using mud in shady areas, sometimes even inside doors and windows. The construction of the nests is done exclusively by the female, who can build one cell per day, transporting the mud from its place of origin to the nest through dozens of trips.
