Bees and Wasps

Invertebrates

Bees and WaspsBee and Wasp IdentificationPlant AssociationsBee and Wasp AnatomySunflower BeesLong-Horned BeesMining BeesCarpenter BeesSoutheastern Blueberry BeeFig WaspsYellowjacket WaspsChalcid WaspsPollen WaspsBee Monitoring ResourcesBumble BeesHoney BeesMason BeesSweat BeesLeafcutter BeesSquash Bees

Classification Helper

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Hymenoptera

Family: Vespidae

Subfamily: Masarinae

Recommended Reading

Gess, S. K. 1996. The Pollen Wasps: Ecology and Natural History of the Masarinae. Harvard University Press.

Pollen Wasps are Major Pollinators
of Many Plants Worldwide

Pollen wasps (Masarinae) are found on all continents but Antarctica, and those of the genus Pseudomasaris occur in western North America in Arizona, California, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Colorado. Unlike most wasps, which feed other insects to their young, pollen wasps feed pollen and nectar exclusively to their young. They collect pollen in an internal crop, unlike many bees that collect pollen on their hairy abdomens or in pollen baskets (also known as corbiculae). Pollen wasps then regurgitate the pollen when provisioning cells for their nests. These wasps are known to forage on many plants worldwide and are major pollinators of several of them. Known plants visited by pollen wasps include beardtongues (Penstemon spp.), waterleafs (Boraginaceae), fig-marigolds (Aizoaceae), asters (Asreraceae), doll's roses (Hermannia spp.), bellflowers (Campanulaceae), Zygophyllum spp., members of the Molluginaceae family, and Tylecodon hallii.

References: Pollen Wasps (Images), Hartmut Wisch, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden; Celebrating Wildflowers: Pollen Wasps , Vince Tepidino, US Forest Service, May 20, 2008; Distributions of flower associations of pollen wasps (Vespidae: Masarinae) in southern Africa, S. K. Gess and F. W. Gess, Journal of Arid Environments, April 2004, vol. 57, no. 1, pp. 17-44

Pollen Wasps Are Solitary

Pollen wasps are solitary wasps. This means that they build and live in individual nests rather than in a hive or with a colony of wasps. In contrast, social wasps live colonially in hives or in wasp communities.

GBIF Distribution Map
(Pseudomasaris spp.)

A map of the United States identifying the location of Pseudomasaris spp.
GBIF portlet: Distribution map graphic for Pseudomasaris spp. from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). (March 19, 2009).

View the interactive version on the GBIF Data Portal

* Note: You may be asked to accept the GBIF Data Use Agreement before you can interact with this map.

Pollen Wasps

A pollen wasp sitting on top of a flower.
A pollen wasp (Pseudomasaris zonalis) on Phacelia linearis. Photo copyright Fred Bentler.

Masarinae

Description: Pollen wasps resemble yellowjackets, except that they have clubbed antennae that are lacking in yellowjackets. Males in the Pseudomasaris genus often have longer antennae than females. Most pollen wasps are black or brown with some yellow, white, or red.

Life History: These wasps are solitary; each female creates her own nest made of mud from soil mixed with nectar or water. She attaches her nest to rocks, ledges, and sometimes plant material. Each cell inside of the nest contains an egg and a pollen ball, and is sealed with a mud plug. Pollen wasps are typically active during the early spring through summer.

Habitat: Pollen wasps are found in arid to semi-arid climates.

Distribution: Pollen wasps are found on all continents but Antarctica. These wasps are especially diverse in southern Africa. Several species occur in North America.

Status: These wasps are common.

Resources:
Celebrating Wildflowers: Pollen Wasps (Vince Tepidino, US Forest Service, May 20, 2008)

Pollen Wasps (Images) (Hartmut Wisch, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden)

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