Beneficial Species Profile Photo Credit: Vengolis Wikimedia Commons Common Name: Potter Wasp Scientific Name: Eumenes fraternus Order and Family: Hymenoptera; Vespidae Size and Appearance: Adult Egg Larva/Nymph Pupa (if applicable) Length (mm) 9-19mm Very small, Slender and housed in brood approximately an inch cell the size of a in length marble Appearance -Yellow main color -Usually found in -Darker colored with black stripes and mud constructed appearance purple colored wings, brood cells that red antennae are attached to plants and other surfaces. Type of Feeder: Adults: Sucking, Larvae: Chewing. Hosts: Adults feed on nectar, however female potter wasps collect between 1-12 caterpillars that are placed in the brood cells where the larvae are contained. When they hatch from the egg and grow, the caterpillars serve as the only food for developing larvae. Description of Benefits (predator, parasitoid, pollinator, etc.): Potter wasps help control the population growth of caterpillars that typically feed on a variety of plants by capturing and transporting them to the brood cells where the wasp larvae use them as food for the duration of their development. References: Cranshaw, W. (2004). Chapter Eleven: Beneficial Garden Arthropods- Potter Wasp. The Ultimate Guide to Backyard Bugs: Garden Insects of North America. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Linton, Eileen. (2006). Potter Wasp. Beneficial Insects in the Garden. Galveston County Master Gardeners. Extension Horticulture. Texas A & M University. Retrieved from: http://aggie- horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-30_potter_wasp_eumenes.htm .