Bug FAQMediterranean Potter Wasp
Eumenes mediterraneus · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Vespidae
The Mediterranean Potter Wasp grows to about 15 mm long and has a black body with yellow markings, a mainly yellow clypeus and two large spots on the scutellum. It occurs across most European countries, the Near East and North Africa, and it belongs to the potter-wasp subfamily Eumeninae of the Vespidae family.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Its body is black with yellow markings. The clypeus is mainly yellow and the scutellum bears two large spots.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults reach roughly 15 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is found in most European countries, the Near East and North Africa.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 3 of 51 states and DC. Most records: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in North America; introduced in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Vespidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eumenes_mediterraneus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.