Most people would not include any type of wasp high on their list of insects they like to see on their homesteads. There is so much fear attached to anything that can bite or sting.
Meet The Potter Wasp
This interesting critter is a solitary insect. Each wasp nest is built for a single egg. I couldn't find in my research how many nests a female Potter Wasp would attend. The nest is built of clay based mud and is round in shape and about the size of a marble. There is often a "spout" or "neck" on the mud nest making it look like a clay pot thrown on a potter's wheel... thus the name.
Potter Wasps are beneficial in the garden because they will paralyze and collect caterpillars and beetle larvae for the nest. Each nest will be supplied with these larvae as the single food source for the developing baby wasp. I read that each single wasp nest can hold up to 12 caterpillar. That's pretty good garden help if you ask me.
The adult Potter Wasp feeds on flower nectar. Even though they can technically sting they are not often aggressive since they do not defend their nests. The nests are built, sealed and left alone.
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