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Potter Wasp on Cilantro Blossom

Ancistrocerus?
Location: Hawthorne, California
December 10, 2010 12:25 am
A new wasp in the back yard yesterday. It’s small, the flower it was feeding on is cilantro. Can you help?
Signature: Thanks, Anna

potter wasp anna 300x206 Potter Wasp on Cilantro Blossom

Potter Wasp

Dear Anna,
The genus Ancistrocerus is part of the Potter Wasp subfamily Eumeninae, and we are in total agreement with you up until that point.  Your specimen does look very much like Ancistrocerus tuberculocephalus which is represented on BugGuide with submissions from Los Angeles, but it also resembles the images of a member of the genus Dolichodynerus  from San Diego that are posted on BugGuide.  Alas, we haven’t the necessary skill to confirm the genus or species for certain, but we are quite confident that you have a Potter Wasp in the subfamily Eumeninae.  You can read more about the fascinating Potter Wasps on BugGuide.  Thanks so much for sending us the images.  We are pleased to see that your garden is attracting other beneficial pollinating insects and we hope you continue to send us documentation of the Syrphid Flies and other new species you encounter.  Allowing plants like cilantro and parsley to flower is a positive contribution to the balanced ecosystem that exists in a pesticide free and natural (and often unruly) garden because those are the plants that attract beneficial insects.  We have decided to feature your letter and photos because we hope that more gardeners will approach the endeavor with a more holistic approach and shun the carefully manicured gardens that might look pretty and perfect, but are actually sterile environments for native creatures.

potter wasp anna 2 300x208 Potter Wasp on Cilantro Blossom

Potter Wasp

Hi Daniel,
Thanks very much for the words of praise.  Last year we decided to let the lawn die in back, and this spring/summer we had all of the sod removed and replaced it with gravel paths and planting beds for native species (mostly grown from seed).  It’s surpassed my wildest hopes.  We’ve had so many wonderful “new” birds and insects visiting our little patch of heaven.  I did retain the vegetable patch, because I just can’t do without my tomatoes & peppers.  You have been a great help to me in identifying these wonderful creatures not only visit, but now seem comfortable enough to take up residence with us.  Please don’t give me too much credit, as most of what happens is a result of plain old procrastination!
I don’t know if you are aware, but I first ran across you as a result of a photo of a Mallophora fautrix photo I submitted.  I attempted to identify it as Bombylans and apparently it caught your eye . . .
Thanks very much again for all of your help and the time you spend answering my requests.
Anna

Hi Anna,
Thanks for the reminder on that wonderful Robber Fly image.  We remembered the numerous Syrphids you have submitted.

Posted 10 December 2010 § ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Potter Wasp makes a Pot

Potter Wasp

potter wasp potting wendy 204x300 Potter Wasp makes a Pot

Potter Wasp beginning a new nest

Potter Wasp
Location:  Lakeland, FL
September 19, 2010 9:43 am
Not sure of the exact type of potter wasp. Yesterday, I watched her construct her nest and I guess lay the eggs inside. I am wondering how long before the new wasps will hatch? I use your site often for bug ID’s so I thought I would send you a couple of shots of this.
Signature:  Wendy Hicks

potter wasp potting wendy 2 224x300 Potter Wasp makes a Pot

Potter Wasp Potting

Hi Wendy,
We love your excellent photo documentation of a Potter Wasp at work constructing her nest.  We believe this may be Eumenes fraternus, one of the most common and wide ranging members of the genus.  According to BugGuide:  “There are at least two generations in a year, from late spring to early fall. Overwintering takes place at the prepupal instar, in the mud pots built by last generation mother females. Emerging adults will be the first generation of next year.“ Based on that, we suspect the adult will emerge in Spring, but since you are in Florida, you may not have to wait that long.

potter wasp potting wendy 3 243x300 Potter Wasp makes a Pot

Potter Wasp finishing a pot-shaped nest

Thanks so much for the quick response!  Bug photography is a hobby of mine so I may send more photos thatI find interesting your way.
Thanks again!

Posted 19 September 2010 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Nest of a Potter Wasp

Potter Wasp Nest
June 25, 2010
Here are two photos of potter wasp nests, seen on the branch of a Parkinsonia microphylla (Palo Verde) tree (gray backdrop) and Acacia brandegeana, in the Sonoran desert near Mulegé, Baja California Sur.
D. Valov
Mulegé, Baja California Sur, Mexico

potter wasp nest paloverde bcmexico 300x210 Nest of a Potter Wasp

Potter Wasp Nest on Palo Verde

Dear D. Valov,
Thank you for your excellent documentation.  It is nice to see the type of plants the Potter Wasp chooses as a foundation to its nursery.

potter wasp nest acacia bcmexico 300x232 Nest of a Potter Wasp

Potter Wasp Nest on Acacia

Posted 26 June 2010 § ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Potter Wasp’s Nest

Green mini catepillars inside a mini clay pot
January 16, 2010
I was looking in my dogwood tree and found two perfect little miniature clay “jugs” attached to a branch in the tree. so curious i was about the “pots” that i crushed one open and found three little green catapillars hanging out inside. The jugs were about a half inch wide with a little fluted opening resembling a vase or handleless jug. these catapittars were found in Dayton ohio. sorry no photo!
H Butt
dayton, ohio

potter wasp nest sketch 300x297 Potter Wasps Nest

Sketch of a Potter Wasp nest

Dear H Butt,
You have found the nests of a Potter Wasp in the genus Eumenes.  The female wasp constructs the nest from clay and then provisions it with caterpillars or beetle larvae, according to BugGuide.

Thanks so much, very interesting. I have seen those wasps in and outside of my house!

Posted 16 January 2010 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Potter Wasp

“I” think its a was[
December 28, 2009
"I" think its a was[
I apologize that this is the only photo that came out clearly. there was a better position, but it was too fuzzy for any detail. This one is feeding on a wild garlic head of flowers that is blooming here on a very cool day in north Florida. I'm sure you can just spit out the name - which will be fine with me. thank you. rd
rd
Columbia Co., Florida near Lake City

potter wasp rd 300x273 Potter Wasp

Potter Wasp

Dear rd,
This is a species of Potter Wasp, Zethus spinipes.  According to BugGuide it is “Black, thorax has yellow marks. Narrow yellow band on abdominal segment 3. Wings brown to violet. Bizarre stalked abdomen typical of genus.“

Thank you kindly for the information – I’ll note it in my book.  It didn’t quite freeze here last night – so much for the wearther folks (but not complaining except I had to get everything under their blankets).  The flower still blooms but the wasp is no longer resting there.  enjoy.  rd

Posted 29 December 2009 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Update: Giant Australian Potter Wasps??? Potter Wasps: Same or different species????

Murder or Mating? Can you guys help?
Hi Guys,
Hope all is well over there. Here in Queensland we are having severe weather with lots of flooding and as a by product my driveway has become a mud puddle, which today attracted the wasp in wasp1.jpg. This wasp is about 1.5 inches long. It has no sooner settled to gather water or mud when an orange potter landed on it and tried to fly off with it (wasp2, wasp 3).

wasp1 trevor Update: Giant Australian Potter Wasps??? Potter Wasps: Same or different species????wasp2 trevor Update: Giant Australian Potter Wasps??? Potter Wasps: Same or different species????

Are the two the same species, despite the marking variations, engaged in courtship or is wasp1 a different species and is under attack? Wasp4 shows the potter after the other one escaped marriage/murder. Hope you can help.
Trevor Jinks
Queensland, Australia
16th February 2008

wasp3 trevor Update: Giant Australian Potter Wasps??? Potter Wasps: Same or different species????wasp4 trevor Update: Giant Australian Potter Wasps??? Potter Wasps: Same or different species????

Hi Trevor,
What an amazing photo documentation you have taken. We are going to take a guess at this answer. We believe both of your wasps are Potter Wasps, but we are not sure if they are the same species, two subspecies, or two different species that may hybridize. Except for the striped abdomens, they look very similar. The fact that the unknown color variation was gathering mud is good evidence she is a female wasp building a nest. This could also be territorial behavior for the mud puddle turf since the wasp that remained is also gathering mud, and is probably also a female. We located a website with 8 different species and subspecies of the genus Eumenes, but sadly, there are no photos.

Update: (02/16/2008)
Potter wasp: Same or different species
Dear Daniel,
The two wasps are different. The striped looks like a Mud-dauber (Sceliphron laetum). http://www.geocities.com/brisbane_wasps/MudDauber.htm Interestingly, as I type, one of these insects keeps flying between me and the computer on her way to nest she is building behind a poster on the wall. The attacking one looks like the Orange Potter http://www.geocities.com/brisbane_wasps/PotterWasp2.htm http://agspsrv34.agric.wa.gov.au/ento/pestweb/Images/potterwasp1.jpg For a good site showing the difference between the two see: http://hvbackyard.blogspot.com/2007/02/7-entombed-and-eaten-alive.html We have both types of wasp visiting our pond. I often see the Mud- dauber at the edge of the pond collecting mud. The Potter tends to land on the surface of the pond to fetch water. Amazing that one is attacking the other! As an aside: apparently, fossilised mud nests of potter wasps have enabled scientists to date rock paintings in the Kimberley region of Western Australia as being at least 17,000 years old. Best wishes,
Grev

Hi Grev,
We always appreciate your input. The first link that you provided did not lead to the Mud Dauber you indicated, but instead to the Yellow Potter Wasp, Delta campaniforme. Continued searching has provided another possibility: The Large Potter Wasp, Abispa ephippium. The Geocities site includes several images of this species, and it seems to exhibit some variability in the abdominal striping. It seems it is also known as the Australian Hornet. We also found a reference to three species of Giant Australian Mason Wasps in the genus Adispa, including Adispa australiana and Adispa splendida. At this point, we are even more confused, but are favoring either one or more species in the genus Adispa.

Update: (02/19/2008)
Daniel:
Re: the Australian potter wasps, I strongly suspect they are male and female of the same species, in the subfamily Eumeninae of the family Vespidae. With all due respect to “Grev,” they are definitely not mud daubers (genus Sceliphron, family Sphecidae). Not even close.
Eric

Posted 15 February 2008 § ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged: ,

Two Florida Wasps

Wasp eating Monarch caterpillar
I finally found out what was killing my Monarch caterpillars, can you please identify him, I think it is a type of paper wasp. I just moved to southwest Florida and am on my 3d generation of Monarchs in a little garden planted just for them. This little caterpillar was getting ready to form into a Chrysalis on the fence when the Wasp got him. I have found the remnants of them before, but have not caught the culprit. While I love my little caterpillar farm, I won’t get rid of the wasps because I don’t think I can support all of the caterpillars the Monarchs lay on my milkweed. We have a population of Monarchs here year round. I will let nature take its course in my garden. Great site, I love it and have learned quite a bit! Also enclosed is a Potter wasp that changed the color of his pots based on his foundation. Great site, I love it and have learned quite a bit!
Terry
Fort Myers Florida

polistes eats monarch cat Two Florida Waspspotterwasp terry Two Florida Wasps

Hi Terry,
Good call on the Paper Wasp. It looks like Polistes annularis as pictured on BugGuide. Regarding the Potter Wasp, we doubt that this was a designer choice based on reading Martha Stewart. More likely the mud that was available at the time had a different coloration. This might be Zeta argillaceum, also pictured on BugGuide, but your photo isn’t detailed enough to be certain.

Posted 02 June 2007 § Paper Wasps ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

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