potter wasp nestArthropods

Potter Wasp

The first time you see a potter wasp “nest” you might think you're looking at the work of tiny elves. Potter wasp egg chambers look like tiny, rough-thrown pots about ˝-inch wide. You’re likely to find these delicate mud "pots" on twigs or vines either singly or in linear groups of up to four, as shown in the photo below. The adult female potter wasp builds the chamber and attaches a single egg to the inside wall. potter wasp nestsThen she paralyzes several tiny caterpillars and stocks the chamber with them as food for developing larva. The chamber opening is sealed with a mud pellet, making the pot rainproof until the emerging wasp cuts an exit hole from the inside.

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