Paper Wasps

Paper Wasps: size: 3/4 to 1 inch long, slender, narrow-waisted wasps with smoky black wings that are folded lengthwise when at rest. Body coloration varies with species from brown with yellow markings on the head, thorax and bands on the abdomen, to an overall reddish-brown depending on species.

Habitat and food source: Mouthparts are for chewing. Nests are built from wood fiber collected from posts and occasionally from live plant stems, causing some plant damage. This fiber is chewed and formed into a single paper-like comb of hexagonal cells. Nests are oriented downward and are suspended by a single filament. Mature nests contain up to 200 cells. Paper wasps prey on insects such as caterpillars, flies and beetle larvae. They actively forage during the day and all colony members rest on the nest at night.