General: Vespid Wasps (Family Vespidae) include solitary and social wasp species. They are recognized by the way they fold their wings lengthwise when at rest. Most are predatory, catching and paralyzing prey items, mostly caterpillars, that they place in a paper or mud nest and upon which they lay their eggs.

The Vespid Wasps include paper wasps (Polistinae), yellowjackets and hornets (Vespinae), potter wasps and mason wasps (Eumeninae), and pollen wasps (Masarinae).

Potter Wasps (Eumeninae, Eumenes bollii); note the relatively thick waist and the dark lines on the abdomen.