A new research paper on the pollen wasp genus Quartinia by scientists from the NHM Vienna in cooperation with the Natural History Museum Stuttgart describes the ability of females to produce a silky excretion, which serves as a bonding agent stabilizing the nest walls when nesting in loose sand. This key innovation that allowed them to colonize sand habitats as a new ecological zone for pollen wasps. Quartinia species are found primarily around the Mediterranean Sea and in southern Africa.