Tale of two pots

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Pizzazz
Posts: 583
Joined: Thu Nov 28, 2013 7:39 pm

Tale of two pots

Post by Pizzazz »

Hi Gang

A potter wasp decided to create two pots for her eggs. She created them on the screen
of my porch, and I decided to let them take their time and hatch.

I gently removed the pots and created this shot.

What is interesting is the black "patch" on the left pot. I have never seen this, as the wasp
usually creates a continuous overlapping layer of softened "mud", as shown on the pot on
the right.

Could this be an intruder's work? Maybe entering the pot to lay some kind of parasite egg?

Thanks for taking a peek.

Mike

2022-07-22-12.30.13-ZS-retouched_WEB.jpg

rjlittlefield
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Re: Tale of two pots

Post by rjlittlefield »

I will be very interested to see what comes out of these pots.

I suspect you're on the right track, thinking about some intruder making that black spot.

--Rik

Pizzazz
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Joined: Thu Nov 28, 2013 7:39 pm

Re: Tale of two pots

Post by Pizzazz »

Rik

Sadly, I waited for them to hatch before I removed the pots.
However, I just inspected the pot without the black mud, and
there were "remains" inside, as it never hatched.

The other pot has a large exit hole opposite the black mud.

Mike

wwheeler48
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Joined: Sun Feb 21, 2021 5:50 pm
Location: Seattle, WA, USA

Re: Tale of two pots

Post by wwheeler48 »

Fascinating. Was the black spot located on the bottom of the pot when it was attached to the screen? Maybe there were some substances released by the eggs as they hatched and transformed that leaked out and discolored a dependent area. Then again, maybe I am completely wrong, again…

Pizzazz
Posts: 583
Joined: Thu Nov 28, 2013 7:39 pm

Re: Tale of two pots

Post by Pizzazz »

Hi there

The photos show the pots 90 degrees off. The way the photo is showing the "bottom"
that is the part that was attached to the screen, so the black mud entry and exit holes
are directly across from one another.

rjlittlefield
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Re: Tale of two pots

Post by rjlittlefield »

With some larger species, there is a behavior in which the mud nest of one species is re-used as a nest by a second species, after the first one has completed its normal development. If we see only the end result it looks like parasitism, but actually it's just sequential occupancy. Perhaps something like that happened here also.

--Rik

MarkSturtevant
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Re: Tale of two pots

Post by MarkSturtevant »

That is still interesting. I expect these wasps have their parasites, but I don't know anything about them.
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters

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