Potter Wasp vs Sonoran Honeypot Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Potter Wasp Sonoran Honeypot Ant
Scientific Name Delta unguiculatum Myrmecocystus navajo
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Vespidae Formicidae
Size 15-25 mm 5-12 mm
Habitat Heathland Deserts & Drylands
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Southern Europe, North Africa, Middle East North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Potter Wasp

A solitary wasp that constructs small urn-shaped mud nests on walls and branches. Each pot is provisioned with paralyzed caterpillars for a single larva.

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Did You Know?

Ancient Greek potters may have been inspired by these wasps' elegant mud vessels.

Sonoran Honeypot Ant

A honeypot ant species native to the high deserts of the Colorado Plateau. Repletes store amber-colored honeydew in their distended abdomens.

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Did You Know?

Rival colonies wage organized wars over territory, and victors raid the losers' replete stores.