Mason Wasp

The Mason Wasps also known as potter wasps belong subfamily Eumeninae of  family Vespidae. There are more than 3200 species of mason wasps in more than 200 genera. The tiny Mason Wasp you see here is measuring about 5mm in length. Its head, thorax and abdomen are black with light yellow marking, while the waist is reddish. It builds a series of attached cylindrical nests, consists of three cells each. The cells are filled with paralyzed caterpillars as food for the larvae.

 Mason Wasp

Any help in identification of the species would be highly appreciated.

Flower Wasp

The Flower Wasp here is commonly know as Blue-black Flower Wasp or Hairy Flower Wasp belong to family Scoliidae. It has a black hairy body, orange colored antennae and shiny blue wings. The adult wasp feeds upon nectar and thus helps in pollination. The larvae act as important bio-control agents, feeding upon beetle larvae in the ground.

Flower Wasp

Chalcid wasp

Chalcid Wasp (Conura nigricornis)

Oriental Hornet

The Oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis), is a species of wasp in the family Vespidae, subfamily Vespinaeis. The species ranges from southeast Europe and north Africa, across east and central Asia to India and Nepal. The female queen measures 25 to 35 mm long; males and workers are smaller. In males, the antennae have 13 segments, while females always have 12. It's a predator, preying on bees and flies. It is also attracted to meat and other foods that are rich in sugar contents like fruit and sweets etc. It can deliver a very painful sting if provoked.

Oriental Hornet (Vespa orientalis)

Spider Wasps

The wasps in the family Pompilidae are called Spider Wasps. They are solitary wasps, which nest in burrows in the ground. Their body length varies from 5 mm to 35 mm. They are black or blue usually with orange, grey or white parts. The female wasp preys on spiders to feed their larvae. She stings the spider to paralyze it and then usually drags it into her burrow where she lays an egg on it. When the larva hatches, it starts to eat the spider. When mature, the larva pupates to emerge as an adult the next summer. They are not aggressive, however can deliver a painful sting, if provoked. .

Spider Wasps

Red Wasp

The Red Wasp, you see here is most probably Polistes carolina, a member of the family Vespidae. It's also known as red paper wasp. They build paper nests. They are considered beneficial as they are predatory, feeding on other insects particularly caterpillars. However they can cause problems when they build nests in or around human habitations, as they are capable of delivering painful stings. Therefore one should be careful while handling the wasps or their nest.

Red Wasp (Polistes carolina)

Thread-waisted Wasps

Thread-waisted Wasps (Ammophila spp.) belong to family Sphecidae. They have long thread-waist with black and orange-brown in colors. The wasp here is Thread-waisted Caterpillar Hunter Wasp, with a body length about 30 mm. They are caterpillar hunters and nest in sand burrows. The paralyzed caterpillars are used as food for their larvae.

Thread-waisted Wasp (Ammophila spp.)

Mud Dauber Wasp Life Cycle

Mud Dauber Wasp Life Cycle

Black and Yellow Mud Dauber (Sceliphron caementarium) is a species of wasp in the family Sphecidae, that build their nests from mud. Like many other insects the mud dauber wasp life cycle consists of four stages i.e. egg, larva, pupa and adult wasp. They generally make one cylindrical cell per day and spend the remaining time on leveling the nest. After completing the mud nest the female captures several insects or spiders to provision the cells. Prey are stung and paralyzed before being placed in the nest. A single egg is deposited on the prey within each cell, and the cell is sealed with mud. After completing a series of cells, the wasp departs and does not return again. The larvae that hatch from the eggs feed on the prey spiders left by the adult wasp. On maturity the larva turned into pupa and then emerges into an adult wasps. Below is the visual representation of different stages of mud dauber wasp life cycle.

Mud Dauber Wasp Life Cycle

Mud Dauber Wasp

Mud Dauber Wasp Egg

Mud Dauber Wasp Egg

Mud Dauber Wasp Larva

Mud Dauber Wasp Pupa

Potter Wasps

Potter wasps also known as mason wasps are a cosmopolitan wasp group in the subfamily Eumeninae, family Vespidae. The potter wasp derives its name from the mud made potter like nest it builds.

Potter Wasps

This is how the Potter Wasp Nest look like.

Potter Wasp Nest

Potter Wasp Nest

Cuckoo Wasps Mating

Cuckoo Wasps Mating Pictures

The Egg Parasitoid Wasp-Trissolcus basalis

The parasitoid wasp here is The Egg Parasitoid Wasp (Trissolcus basalis). It would be more suitable to call it Stinkbug Eggs Parasitoid Wasp, as it's the natural predators of stink bugs, at the eggs stage.

The Egg Parasitoid Wasp-Trissolcus basalis

Short-tailed Ichneumon Wasp (Ophion sp.)

The Short-tailed Ichneumon Wasp (Ophion Sp.) is a species of wasp in the family Ichneumonidae (Ichneumon Wasps), subfamily Ophioninae. They are solitary wasps. The adults feed on nectar while the larvae are parasites of caterpillars. The female parasitize caterpillars. Generally one egg is laid per caterpillars. Caterpillar usually dies during pupal stage. They are important natural biological control agent.

Short-tailed Ichneumon Wasp - Ophion Sp.

Mantis Parasitic Wasp

Mantis Parasitic Wasp (Podagrion sp.) is a tiny parasitic wasp (Body length: 3mm) in the family Torymidae, superfamily Chalcidoidea (Chalcid Wasps). It has metallic dark blue/green head and thorax. The abdomen and legs are yellowish brown. The rear legs are strong and toothed, having swollen femurs. As the name suggests, it's a parasitoid of praying mantid egg cases. The female use its long ovipositor to deposit its eggs in the fresh mantis egg case.

Mantis Parasitic Wasp (Female)

Spotted-winged Orange Braconid Wasp

Spoted-winged Orange Braconid Wasp (Disophrys sp.) is a parasitic wasp in the family Braconidae. It has a body length of about 15mm. This wasp is orange in color with black antenna and eyes. Its wings are in orange and black with an orange spot in the black area. The female has a black colored ovipositor, which is used to deposit its eggs inside the insects larvae.

Spoted-winged Orange Braconid Wasp - Disophrys sp.

Wasp Sting Swelling

The home remedies can work a wonder for wasp sting swelling. Traditionally people use a number of things to reduce pain and swelling from wasp sting including toothpaste, baking soda, kerosene oil, onion or garlic juice, vinegar, lemon juice, mud and ice. In the lip sting picture below I asked the victim to apply toothpaste to the sting area and after some time he confirm that it helped in reducing the swelling. 

Wasp Sting Swelling Pictures

Cuckoo Wasps

The wasps in the Hymenopteran family Chrysididae are commonly known as Cuckoo wasps. Cuckoo wasps are brilliant metallic blue, green or reddish in color. They are known by a number of common names including jewel wasp, gold wasp and emerald wasp.

Cuckoo Wasps