
The Potter wasp constructs nests of mud, or nest in burrows,
cavities in twigs, or the abandoned nests of other wasps.
Adult potter wasps are commonly seen on the ground in open
areas or at flowers. |
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Mud Pot Wasp Nest
Potter wasps are named for the nests they
construct out of mud and water, and these can have one to
multiple individual cells. When a cell is completed, the
adult wasp typically collects
beetle larvae, spiders or caterpillars and, paralyzing
them, places them in the cell to serve as food for a single
wasp larva. In a few species, the adult wasp lays a single
egg in the opening of the cell, suspended from a thread of
dried fluid. When the wasp larva hatches, it drops and
immediately feeds upon the larvae, and later breaks out of
the nest to begin its adult life. Adult potter wasps feed on
plant nectar.
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