Martellina

Martellina is a genus of insects belonging to the order Hymenoptera and the family Vespidae. These are commonly known as potter wasps or mud daubers, though this common name is also applied to other wasp genera. Martellina wasps are solitary, meaning each female builds her own nest and cares for her own offspring without the help of other wasps. They are characterized by their distinctive nesting behavior, constructing individual cells from mud or clay. These cells are typically shaped like small pots or jugs, often attached to surfaces like walls, branches, or under eaves.

The diet of Martellina consists primarily of spiders. Adult female wasps hunt spiders, paralyze them with their venom, and then provision their mud nests with these paralyzed prey. Once the nest is stocked with spiders, the female lays a single egg on top of the food supply. She then seals the cell with more mud, and the larva that hatches will consume the spiders as it grows. After emerging from the nest, the adult wasp does not feed its young. Martellina wasps are generally not aggressive towards humans and are considered beneficial insects due to their control of spider populations.