what are these wasps doing carring spiders into their nests?

Question

The nests look long and their are a few connected to eachother. I remember breaking one open a year ago and found dead spiders in them. And the spiders didn't look like the same kind either. Why do they do this?

Answer 1

To feed them to their young. The paralyzed spiders (they are still alive) have eggs laid on them.

The wasps are called Mud Daubers.


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...Mud daubers are often seen at the edge of mud puddles collecting mud to construct their tublar nests. Organpipe mud dauber nests are partitioned off with mud and each cell is provisioned with several paralyzed spiders and implanted with an egg. After eggs hatch, larvae feed on captured spiders with larvae maturing in about three weeks. Larvae spin a cocoon and overwinter. Males may guard the nest while the female forages. Mud cells may be constructed in deserted nests of the black and yellow mud dauber.

Female black and yellow mud daubers paralyze spiders, pack them into the cell with their head until full, lay one egg and seal the cell. Larvae are pale yellowish about 3/4 inch long when fully grown. Pupation occurs within a cocoon inside the cell. There are two broods with hibernation in the cocoon. Female blue mud daubers take over a mud nest, open a cell by moistening the clay with water and emptying it of spiders and the other wasp egg. They then deposit their own paralyzed spiders, lay their own egg and seal over the cell. Hosts are mostly black widow spiders.

Solitary wasps (mud daubers) are very different than the social wasps (hornets, yellowjackets and paper wasps). There is no worker caste and the queens must care for their own young. Mud dauber wasp queens use their sting to paralyze their prey (spiders) rather than to defend their nests. These wasps are non-aggressive and rarely sting unless touched or caught in clothing....

Answer 2

Spiders will also curl-up and play dead when a mud wasp is approaching. The wasp will not bring a dead spider home.

She builds one room at a time with mud, then puts up to 8 spiders in the "room", lays an egg, and seals it up with mud. Then she makes several more rooms. When the wasp grub comes out of its egg, it eats the spiders and kind of hibernates until it becomes a wasp.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Randy got it right. Vote for him for best answer.
I will just add that we had them last summer nesting on the buildings of our apartment complex.
I would sit at the edge of a puddle and watch the females collecting mud and take it back to build her nest.
I could get within about two feet of her. She was so busy collecting her mud she never notices me.