Potter Wasp
Euodynerus pratensis
5km west of Picketpost Mountain, Pinal County, Arizona. 24 Sept. 2017. The nectar/pollen source is Burrobush (Isocoma tenuisecta).
Vespidae -- a Family of Wasps
The nectar and pollen that female wasps gather from flowers is used to fuel their construction and hunting activities. The pots they build are made from moist mud and saliva and these are affixed so as to be protected from the hardest rains. The female potter wasps do all the building and then all the hunting. They hunt for caterpillars on foliage which they paralyze with a sting and then insert into one of the mud pots. Before the pot is sealed off with more mud the wasp deposits an egg that will result in a wasp grub that will consume the caterpillar prey. Males are also frequently seen at flowers.