“Pseudodynerus quadrisectus” (no common name)

A wasp in our garden. It was promptly ID'ed at BugGuide as “Pseudodynerus quadrisectus,” which, perhaps unfortunately, has no common name. (For pronunciation, see http://bugeric.blogspot.com/2014/01/wasp-wednesday-pseudodynerus.html !)

More from Bug Eric, http://bugeric.blogspot.com/2014/01/wasp-wednesday-pseudodynerus.html » “[T]his is an interesting mason wasp that is frequently confused at first glance with the Four-toothed Mason Wasp, Monobia quadridens. P. quadrisectus is slightly smaller, more slender in overall build, and features more white markings than its cousin. Both wasps utilize pre-existing cavities in wood as nesting sites, including the abandoned nests of the Eastern Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa virginica, in outdoor structural beams.

“Females of this solitary species use mud to partition a tunnel into several cells, working from the bottom up. Observations indicate that the wasp cordons off an empty cell at the end of the shaft, using mud as a wall that serves also as the bottom of her first cell. Each cell is provisioned with paralyzed caterpillars, the size and quantity of which has not been adequately documented.

“The mother wasp lays a single egg in the cell once it has been fully stocked, then creates another mud partition. This sequence is repeated until the wasp has filled the tunnel to her satisfaction. She closes the entire nest with another mud plug, leaving another empty cell between the last cell plug and the nest closure. This may serve as a decoy so that parasites breaking into the nest find an ‘empty room’ instead of the expected wasp larva or egg.

“The predatory nature of this wasp makes it an ally in the battle against pests in your garden. You can attract them by planting summer- and fall-blooming wildflowers like goldenrod (Solidago spp.) and thoroughwort (Eupatorium spp.); and by providing lodging in the form of holes drilled in wooden blocks and hung under the eaves of your home or shed. Bundles of hollow twigs work well, too. Such “trap nests” are commercially available from a variety of sources, but logs and dead, standing trees are a natural resource for nesting wasps (and solitary bees, too).”

About the author, http://bugeric.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html

Confirmed at BugGuide as “Pseudodynerus quadrisectus”; http://bugguide.net/node/view/1108728

Species page at BugGuide, http://bugguide.net/node/view/21080

Full taxonomy —
» Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
»» Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
»»» Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
»»»» Class Insecta (Insects)
»»»»» Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
»»»»»» No Taxon (Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps)
»»»»»»» Superfamily Vespoidea (Yellowjackets & Hornets, Paper Wasps; Potter, Mason & Pollen Wasps + allies)
»»»»»»»» Family Vespidae (Yellowjackets & Hornets, Paper Wasps; Potter, Mason & Pollen Wasps)
»»»»»»»»» Subfamily Eumeninae (Potter and Mason Wasps)
»»»»»»»»»» Genus Pseudodynerus
»»»»»»»»»»» Species quadrisectus (Pseudodynerus quadrisectus)

1 year ago (“If you build it, …”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2014-07-12
2 years ago (“Morning girl”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2013-07-12
3 years ago (“Marcia & Missy”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2012-07-12
4 years ago (“Milo”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2011-07-12

[ IMG_3476S12x9tm :: f/5.6 :: 1/125" :: ISO-200 :: 250mm ]

[Rick Schies]

That is quite a mouthful. I prefer wasp