One of the common summer jobs of every Park Ranger is to knock mud dauber nests off of buildings. These common black wasps are very hard to rile up, I have never heard of anyone that got stung by the common black species with orange legs. Paper wasps are quick to respond to disturbance. The mud dauber will pretty much use any wet “mud” anywhere. The strangest that I ever saw was a nest made out of fresh concrete. Needless to say when it cured the babies did not get out. Most any old mud will do and near the end of the construction, if you are paying attention, at the end of the construction you will also observe the mud dauber carrying paralyzed spiders to the nests. Paralysis takes the place of refrigeration when you’re trying to store food for babies that have to hatch before dinner can be consumed. Knocking the nests off of buildings usually results in the perfect opportunity to see the cells through all stages of larval development. Yes, the wasp also comes from a worm type larvae. So you will have cells full of spiders, cells with small wasp larvae and a supply of spiders for food and shells full of larva which is almost ready to come out.
This geocache is placed in Highlands Hammock State Park with the permission of park management. All locations must be approved by the Volunteer Geocache Coordinator Sarah Straub (DTISarah@gmail.com) and adhere to the guidelines set by the park for geocache placement.
Vehicles are not permitted to park on any roadway within the park boundary. All vehicles must park within designated parking areas. The park is open from 8:00AM until sundown, 365 days a year. The admission fees are as follows: $6.00 per vehicle. Limit 2-8 people per vehicle. $4.00 Single Occupant Vehicle. $2.00 Pedestrians, bicyclists, extra passengers, passengers in vehicle with holder of Annual Individual Entrance Pass. Camping is available in the park as well.
Highlands Hammock State Park's Website
For more information about accessing cache locations please visit the ranger station to view a copy of Essential Eligibility Criteria for Geocaching at Highlands Hammock State Park.
Please remember to cache responsibly and stay on designated trails.