Eumeninae (subfamily)

Unidentified Potter wasp at Quaama, NSW

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Identification history

	Eumeninae (subfamily)	23 Dec 2019	KimPullen
	Unidentified	11 Dec 2019	FionaG

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User's notes

Wasp?

5 comments

JackieMiles wrote:

17 Dec 2019

I compared this photo with the several we have of these species (they nest in our porch), and some individuals in our photos have the white/cream facial markings like this one and some don't - not sure why that would be. These are the native wasps that build huge aggregations of hanging paper nests in irregular sheets in places like your carport, or under bridges. They feed on other insects, so are potentially beneficial in the garden (though the ones in our porch are a nuisance when the nest gets too big as they crap on the bricks and make quite a mess!).

FionaG wrote:

17 Dec 2019

I know the ones you mean. Ours are fine till around March when they start to become a bit aggressive.

JackieMiles wrote:

17 Dec 2019

Interesting, ours are never aggressive, but then they are up high in the ceiling of the porch where we don't threaten them by walking underneath. The ones that are a bit touchier are the Polistes humilis which build a small nest like an upside down mushroom, and often put it closer to head height, or down in the vegetation where it is easy to brush against. Here's an example of what they look like:

Polistes (Polistella) humilis (Common Paper Wasp) on 8 Feb 2019 You very likely have both there.

KimPullen wrote:

24 Dec 2019

The abdomen is more elongate than in Ropalidia, and the markings are different. Eumeninae are solitary wasps.

JackieMiles wrote:

25 Dec 2019

Thanks Kim. I'm waiting for a really hot day to get a better photo of Ropalidia for comparative purposes - all ours are taken from a distance and a bit blurry. They come down from their nests to sit on the outside of our windows and partake of the slightly cooler air inside the house. But so far, despite all the talk of heatwaves, we haven't had a day bad enough to cause them to do it.

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