About Gymnomerus laevipes (Shuckard, 1837)
The genus Gymnomerus is a monotypic group of Palearctic potter wasps that contains only one species: Gymnomerus laevipes, which is commonly called the Box-headed Mason Wasp. Gymnomerus laevipes has a distinct black and yellow striped pattern that often resembles the patterns of other wasp species, so careful, precise identification is required to tell this species apart. This wasp species lives primarily across the Palearctic region, with known populations ranging from southern England northward to Nottinghamshire. It prefers to live in open habitats, including brownfields and woodlands. Gymnomerus laevipes has a distinctive, unique nesting behavior: it builds between 4 and 12 tubular nest cells inside the hollow stems of plants such as bramble, burdock, elder, and thistles. The individual tubular cells are separated from one another by partitions made of clay, demonstrating the wasp's resourcefulness when using natural materials to construct its nest.
