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Description
Wasps are a possible surrogate to measure biodiversity of an ecosystem because they can be extremely diverse, most requiring a very specific niche. Many factors such as surrounding vegetation, potential prey availability, and potential hosts impact presence and diversity of wasps; so, by observing different species in an environment biodiversity could be inferred. The Vespidae are Social Wasps and include six subfamilies. My research specifically covers two subfamilies: Paper Wasps (Polistinae), and Potter and Mason Wasps (Eumeninae). There are 25 genera with over 1000 species of paper wasps worldwide; 27 in North America, and 8 found in Kentucky. Potter wasps have more than 180 genera and 3,000 species worldwide: about 260 are in North America. Paper wasps are social predatory wasps that make paper nests and live in colonies ranging from 20-100 adults. Paper wasps are opportunistic hunters with the females catching anything that could be used as a proper food source. These wasps are easily identified by their biological behavior and open nest structure as well as their sparsely haired bodies, pointed clypeus, and gently curved first plate to the abdomen. Potter wasps are solitary predatory wasps that make pot-like nests from mud. These wasps paralyze their prey to store in their nests for their larvae to eat once hatched. Their solitary behavior alone separated them from the rest of the vespid wasps. The potter wasps also have identification features such as cleft claws and single spurred mid tibia.
Publication Date
4-16-2025
Disciplines
Higher Education | Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Recommended Citation
Barnett, Dawn; Brinegar, Kyah; Burdette, Gracie; and O'Keefe, Sean, "Introduction to the Paper and Potter Wasps of Eastern Kentucky" (2025). 2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations. 12.
https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2025/12