Potter wasp

Description:

Eumenes is a species of potter wasp in the subfamily Eumeninae of the family Vespidae. Potter Wasps have nests that look like ceramic jugs or pots. They create these mud nests on twigs, branches or on the trunks of trees. The marble-sized nest has only one chamber, unlike the many chambers inside a honeybee hive. They are most active during the summer. Like other members of the genus, the female Eumenes builds a pitcher-shaped nest in which to lay an egg. This is made with mud, the wasp collecting a drop of water and then a dry particle of soil, dampening the soil and putting it in place. Several hundred such fragments will be needed and the pot may take one or two hours to build. When it is ready, the wasp inserts her abdomen into the hollow interior and lays an egg, suspending it on a fine thread. She then searches for suitable food to put inside the pot on which her developing larva may feed. Usually this is the larva of a butterfly or moth that has been stung to paralyse it and which will remain alive and fresh until the developing wasp larva needs it. When she has placed enough provisions in the pot, the wasp seals the top with damp soil and goes off to build another nest. The adult insects feed mainly on nectar that they gather from flowers, but they also feed on pollen with its higher protein content.

Notes:

Know the exact species of wasp.