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• Paper Wasps

Polistes spp.

Paper wasps are found throughout the United States. They are often considered beneficial by gardeners due to their preference for other insects including caterpillars, flies, and beetle larvae.

These wasps get their common name from the paper like material from which they build their nests, created from dead wood fibers and plant stems mixed with saliva. Nests are waterproof and unlike most bees consist of a single layer of combs with the combs facing downward and always exposed (similar to an umbrella shape). They are gray to brown in color dependent on the cellulous material from which the nest is constructed. Nests are found primarily suspended; usually from trees and shrubbery or from under eaves, porch ceilings, door frames, or other protected areas of a structure. These wasps naturally secrete a chemical which they spread around the base of the nest which repels ants. This is to prevent loss of eggs and young. The average nest consists of around 200 cells. Nests generally are not reused and the colony will die in the winter months (with the exception of the inseminated, over-wintering queen).

Identified as a brownish color with yellow markings, adults are approximately 5/8 inch to 3/4 inch long with a narrow waist and long legs. Paper wasps are considered semi-social. Colonies are small and do not consist of a worker caste. These wasps tend to not be aggressive unless the nest or the wasp itself is threatened. They have a lance like stinger and are able to sting victims repeatedly, as the stinger does not become stuck in the skin of the victim and remains intact.

Queens frequently over-winter within structures (often found in attic spaces). They emerge in the spring to begin building their nest; sometimes joined by other inseminated queens who will assist in building and maintaining the nest. These secondary queens become functional workers of the colony, and only the original queen will lay eggs. However, if the founding queen should die, a secondary queen can assume laying eggs to assure survival of the nest.

Sealing cracks and openings at awnings, roofs and siding can aid in preventing an over-wintering queen entering the structure and eventually establishing a colony within.

While these preventative measures may help prevent an infestation, if a colony has an established nest, a call to Long Pest Control can develop an Integrated Pest Control program to eliminate the sightings and provide an environment free of unwanted pests year round.