Paper Wasp

Paper wasps are a group of social wasps found across most of the world, named for the distinctive open, umbrella-shaped nests they build from a papery material made by chewing plant fibers and wood mixed with their saliva. Colonies are founded in spring by one or a small number of fertilized queens that survived the winter, who begin building the nest and laying eggs, with the first generation of daughters then taking over foraging and nest-building duties as sterile workers while the queen continues to reproduce. They are important predators of caterpillars and other soft-bodied insect pests, which adult wasps capture, chew and feed to their developing larvae, while the adults themselves feed mainly on nectar and other sugary substances. Unlike some other social wasps, paper wasp colonies are relatively small, typically numbering from a few dozen to a few hundred individuals, and the nests lack the outer papery envelope that encloses the combs of hornets and yellowjackets, leaving the hexagonal cells visibly exposed. Paper wasps can deliver a painful sting in defense of their nest but are generally less aggressive than yellowjackets or hornets unless the nest itself is directly disturbed.