What characterizes the provisioning diet of a solitary potter wasp?
Answer
Paralyzed spiders
While social wasps often have generalized protein needs met by various insects, solitary wasps exhibit far more specialized dietary patterns directly linked to the single host they provision for their single offspring. The solitary potter wasp is specifically known for having an extremely narrow and specific provisioning requirement. This particular species focuses its hunting efforts exclusively on catching and paralyzing spiders, which it then places inside its nest cell to serve as the sole food source for its developing larva once it hatches. This contrasts sharply with social species that hunt broadly or parasitic wasps that consume the host entirely from within.
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