Potter Wasp Nest Collection

The small Potter Nest Collection of the CID Institute Museum was obtained during the years 1991 until 2021. It comprises 2 Potter Insect Nests and a single breeding chamber from Colombia and two single breeding chambers from Germany. Several more colombian specimen got lost during removals in Colombia in 2002. Between those protrude an elsewhere described and documented nest of Eumenes wagnerianus and potter nests of Trypoxylon sp. found at Salado Creek Valley at Envigado in 2002. Furthermore got lost during removals from PLAN Office at Bogotá 1st of May Quarter the single breeding chambers of undeterminated potter wasps collected at Cucuta in January 2000. Also as lost figure breeding nest chambers of ground-nesting potter bees found in 1991 at Pont Saint Nicolas, Gardon River, France.

As most amazing document of filigrane insect clay artwork figures a potter-wasp tribe nest found 1991 at Guaduas Colombia attached to a Guajave Tree branch. The nest is a donation of the garden owner, Mrs. Blanca Monroy de Bonilla, to the nature collection and was transported with great careful attention to Germany. The nest shows fine hexagone breeding chambers made of clay in the inside of a millimeter thin clay nest wall that surrounds the brood comb. In Germany beeing known in the entomologist scene at that time only more thick-walled and less detailled sculptured potter nest structures as constructed for example by Sceliphron and Trypoxylon species, the existence of a so amazing fine clay brood comb design comparable to similar paper wasp nest structures excited greater attention.

In Germany at that time the generally accepted doctrine in entomological teaching attributed the use of earthen material for insect nest construction exclusively to a limited number of solitary bee and wasp species that construct single or attached clay combs but no "nests" in the literally meaning of that term. The possibility that social communities of bees or wasps use the technique of preparing clay for the erection of their much more complex nest structures was widespread discarded, based on the regional knowledge about European insect species. The existence of tropical wasp species that manage the collection and preparation technique of earthen construction material for the fine outlined design of their nest walls and breeding chambers was questioned and the existence of hexagone honeycombs made of clay in social wasp nest was still considered as impossible.

Clay Nest constructed by Social Wasps from Guaduas / Colombia 1991

Donation to CID Institute Museum Entomological Collection by Mrs Blanca Monroy de Bonilla

Complex-Nest constructed by a colombian social wasp species with fine clay material. The openings are a circular nest entrance and an outside wall cover damage probably caused by birds.

Attachment of the clay-nest to a branch from Guajave-Tree (Psidium guajava)

View to the hexagone breeding combs inside the nest

Detail view on the nest wall diameter and the hexagone combs

Symmetry and fine structure of Hexagone comb walls.

The constructor is a social wasp species (Hymenoptera : Vespidae) from Polistinae subfamily. The constructing species is most probably Polybia emaciata, one of only three Polistinae wasp species that use mud as primary nest construction material.

A similar, but rather more complex hexagone honeycomb nest with more rustic constructed nest wall could be documented during field studies in 2002 in Chia / Colombia. It was found in an area north from Guadas between Magdalena River and the Eastern Cordillera Range that limits to the Sabana of Bogota. The nest was fired in a ceramic kiln to give robustness to the fragile earthen structure. It consist in several hexagone honeycomb levels constructed one above the other. The nest remains in Chia and is not part of the CID Museum Collection but cited here for comparative study reasons.

Complex potter nest with several layers of hexagone honeycomb levels

constructed by another colombian social wasp species

No Museum exibition specimen !

At that time in 1991 the existence of hexagone comb walls constructed by wasps with clay was doubted by consulted german entomologists, which questioned also the authenticity of the nest. But it´s existence and proofed procedence drove the CID Institute a decade later to initiate an own investigation about colombian potter wasp species during the settlement and stage of the PLAN/OPEC E.U. office in Bogotá and Medellin between 1999 and 2002. A greater image data collection was gained during these studies mostly based on entomological collection material from several faculties of biology of universities in Bogotá and Medellin.

After the return to Germany in June 2002 and parallel to the foundation efforts of CID Institute in Weilmünster, a plan for an academic dissertation about Colombian Potter Wasps was raised, but later put aside because the return to Colombia was impossible during the following two decades. Also the parallel detailled work of Carlos Sarmiento Monroy Potter Wasps of Colombia covered already that theme largely, so that further comprehensive investigations had no space.

During the past two decades Potter Insect studies remained part of the Entomological study and documentation work of CID Institute at it´s homebase in Weilmünster. The local existence of several native and immigrant species could be documented as well as some of their nest structures. A first survey description for Weilmünster could be presented by CID Institute in 2012 with the publication POTTER INSECTS OF WEILMÜNSTER. Since then the now more complete knowledge and some ncessary actualizations are planned to be integrated in a revised version of the article.

Clay Nest from Santa Marta, Colombia

Constructor probably is a Bombus species nesting underground

The nest is a donation to CID Institute Museum by Mrs. Myriam Reina 1999

Probable Potter-Bombus sp. Clay Nest with hexagone breeding combs and remaining pupation envelopes

The fine structure of the nests ground shows it´s architectonic structure composed by circular added clay plugs

Sand covered single clay breeding comb of an unidentified potter insect, probably a solitary bee species

Santa Marta / Colombia 1999

Donation to CID Institute Museum Entomological Collection by Myriam Reina

Single breeding comb of a potter bee, maybe Osmia sp., from a half-timbered housewall in Weilmünster 2012

Single breeding comb from a potter wasp, probably Ancistrocerus sp. or Eumenes sp., from the roof of CID Institute 2020

Formerly to the CID Institute Museum Entomological Collection belonging Potter nests that actually are registered as missing :

Breeding combs of a solitary Potter Bee (probably Megachile or Chalicodoma sp.)

Pont Saint Nicolas, Gardon River, France, 1991

Breeding combs probably of a Sphecid Waspe (Hymenoptera : Sphecidae)

Santa Marta, Colombia 1999 / Donation of Mrs. Myriam Reina

Potter Wasp Breeding Combs probably constructed by a wasp species from Pompilidae family

Cucuta 2000 / Donation to CID Institute Museum by Mrs. Myriam Reina

Near the collected 4 potter nest specimen was registered a wasp probably belonging to Pompilidae family constructing a similar breeding comb at the house wall.