Stats

Lifespan

A few weeks

Size

Small

Diet

Omnivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Temperate woodland

Range

Eastern North America

Movement

Flight

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Venom

Status

Common

About

The Fraternal Potter Wasp is a solitary black-and-yellow wasp named for the tiny jug-shaped mud pots it sculpts on twigs and stems. Each female stocks her pot with paralyzed caterpillars before sealing a single egg inside to hatch and feed in isolation.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3. 3.
   subadult

   A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4. 4.
   adult

   Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hymenoptera

Family

Vespidae

Genus

Eumenes

Species

Eumenes fraternus