Most eumenine species are black or brown, and commonly marked with strikingly contrasting patterns of yellow, white, orange, or red (or combinations thereof), but some species, mostly from tropical regions, show faint to strong blue or green metallic highlights in the background colors.

The name "potter wasp" derives from the shape of the mud nests built by species of Eumenes and similar genera.

It is believed that Native Americans based their pottery designs upon the form of local potter wasp nests.

[3] As a normal rule, the adult wasp lays a single egg in the empty cell before provisioning it.

When the wasp larva hatches, it drops and starts to feed upon the supplied prey for a few weeks before pupating.