Pipe-organ Mud Wasp vs Tawny Crazy Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Pipe-organ Mud Wasp Tawny Crazy Ant
Scientific Name Trypoxylon figulus Nylanderia fulva
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Crabronidae Formicidae
Size 8-12 mm 2-3 mm
Habitat Underground Beaches & Coastal
Diet Predators Omnivores
Regions Europe South America, Southern United States
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Pipe-organ Mud Wasp

A slender black solitary wasp that builds mud-tube nests in hollow stems and holes, provisioning them with paralyzed spiders. Named for the organ-pipe arrangement of its mud cells.

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Did You Know?

Builds multiple tube-shaped mud cells arranged like the pipes of a church organ.

Tawny Crazy Ant

A small reddish-brown ant that forms enormous supercolonies and is displacing fire ants in the southern United States. They are attracted to electrical equipment and often cause short circuits.

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Did You Know?

They coat themselves in formic acid as an antidote after being stung by fire ants, a unique detoxification behavior.