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spider nest #260128

Asked July 08, 2015, 7:13 AM EDT

Hi! 

We live in portugal and have just discoveres what appears to be some kind of insect nest, probably spider nest. Its only 1 cm small and located on the ceiling outside the house. 
Maybe you can help me identify what kind of spider it is. 

Thank you for your answers :)


County Outside United States

Expert Response

What you are probably seeing is an egg sac of a spider.  Most all produce some sort of sack structure.  At night the adult is usually close by the nest.  If you could snap a picture of the adult that might help.  Attached is a typical egg sack of a common garden spider.
An Ask Extension Expert Replied July 18, 2015, 10:41 PM EDT
There doesn't seem to be any adult spider nearby for some time... But still thank you for the answer :)
The Question Asker Replied August 01, 2015, 9:17 AM EDT

I came across your request while looking at some other questions. The previous respondent thought this might be a spider egg sack, which it does somewhat resemble. However, I believe that this is actually the mud nest of a type of potter wasp or mason wasp, most likely in the genus Eumenes (Family Vespidae, Subfamily Eumeninae). These wasps are related to the paper wasps and hornets. However, they do not form colonies, and each female creates her own nests, often using mud as the nest material. Sometimes they will use existing holes to make their nests, but some species build these distinctive little mud pots as a chamber in which to raise their young. Depending on the species, the female will capture and paralyze beetles, caterpillars or spiders and place them into the pot. When full, she will lay an egg inside and seal over the opening. The cache of food inside is enough for the wasp larvae to feed on and complete its development. Once she seals the pot, she leaves and goes off to create another. When the wasp larva completes its development, it will pupate inside the pot and eventually emerge as a new adult. Your photo shows the pot as being open. That could mean that it was a relatively new nest that was still being filled by the female with prey, or it could be an old nest from which a new wasp has already emerged. They typically do not re-use the old nest. So its possible your nest may have had some spiders associated with it, however, they would have been food for the immature wasp and not the ones that created the nest. I have included a link to a website with more information about these wasps and their nests, or you can search for potter wasp to find more information and images.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potter_wasp

An Ask Extension Expert Replied August 04, 2015, 11:45 AM EDT

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