Potter Wasp
Rhynchium (sp. ?)
Observed at a muddy crossing of the Sosiani River, Eldoret, Kenya. Dec. 2015. Genus suggested by D. Yanega and confirmed by Ozren Polašek.
This female wasp is taking water and mud at a river crossing. The mud will be used to construct an elaborate pot-shaped nest. The container will be filled with prey - many potter wasps prey on spiders. An egg will be laid and the pot sealed before the egg hatches into a grub (larva) that will feed on the cache of prey. Adult wasps also take nectar at flowers.