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Potter Wasp on gutter of house
Photograph copyright: ozwildlife - all rights reserved. Used with permission.
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Potter Wasp in flight. The legs hang down when in flight.
Photograph copyright: ozwildlife - all rights reserved. Used with permission.
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Australian hornet
Image by Arthur Chapman - Some rights reserved. (view image details)
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POTTER WASP FACTS |
Identification
The Potter Wasp is a large wasp. The abdomen is orange and black, and the thorax is black with orange triangle at the shoulders. The antenna and legs are orange-yellow. Potter Wasps are solitary and build a mud pot-shaped nest attached to a tree trunk or side of a building. They can sting but are not aggressive.
Size
30mm
Habitat
often seen in gardens searching for caterpillars on leaves on trees and shrubs, or collecting mud from damp soil or roof gutters
Food
larvae feed on caterpillars
Breeding
Females build a mud nest with many cells. She lays an egg inside each cell and encloses a caterpillar in the cell for the developing wasp larva to feed on. The larva pupates in the mud nest and emerges as an adult wasp.
Classification
| Class: | Insecta | | Order: | Hymenoptera | | Family: | Vespidae | | Genus: | Abispa | | Species: | ephippium | | Common Name: | Potter Wasp |
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