mason wasp

(also ‘potter wasp’)

a kind of insect – non-stinging – related to wasp family – long narrow black or brown body marked with bright contrasting patterns of yellow, white, orange or red, body divided into three parts – head, thorax and abdomen, 3 pairs of legs (6 legs), two pairs of wings (4 wings), two antennae on the head; size: 0.8 inch (20 mm); adults feed on (eats) nectar (= sweet fluid) of some flowers, larvae feed on the other dead insects or insect larvae, mostly moth larvae; lives for 1 year; found in most parts of the world

Special Features:

Most species of wasps are social insects, but the mason or potter wasp is solitary, i.e. each wasp lives on its own.

These wasps are given them their name ‘mason or potter’ because each female builds a nest with mud in the shape of a pot!

(‘mason’ = a person who builds house; ‘potter’ = a person who makes earthen pots)

It is believed that, in the past, the Native Americans made their pots basing on the nest design of these mason or potter wasps!!

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