European Paper Wasp

The European paper wasp is a social wasp in the family Vespidae, genus Polistes, native to southern Europe, North Africa, and parts of temperate Asia. It has since been introduced to numerous other regions, including North America and Australia, where it has become widely established, sometimes at higher densities than native paper wasp species.

Like other Polistes wasps, it builds a distinctive open-celled paper nest resembling an inverted umbrella, with no outer protective envelope covering the comb, unlike the enclosed nests of yellowjackets and hornets. Colonies are relatively small compared to those of Vespula wasps, typically housing a few dozen to a couple hundred individuals.

As a social predator, the European paper wasp captures caterpillars and other soft-bodied insects to feed its brood, contributing to natural insect population regulation in the gardens, farmland, and urban areas where it now commonly occurs.

• Slender body with a narrow waist, black to dark brown base color overlaid with bright yellow-orange bands and markings.
• Bright orange antennae are a particularly useful identification feature, distinguishing it from many native paper wasp species with darker antennae.
• Long legs that dangle noticeably in flight, a trait shared with other Polistes wasps.
• Open, exposed umbrella-shaped paper nest with visible hexagonal cells and no outer covering.
• Lookalikes: native Polistes species in North America are similar in shape but often duller or more reddish-brown, generally lacking the vivid orange antennae of the European paper wasp.

Native to southern Europe, North Africa, and parts of temperate Asia, the European paper wasp has become widely established as an introduced species in North America, Australia, and other temperate regions. It favors sunny, sheltered nest sites such as eaves, window frames, sheds, and other structures, as well as natural sites like rock crevices and dense vegetation. Colonies are active from spring through late summer or early autumn.

Workers forage for caterpillars and other soft-bodied insect prey, chewing them into a pulp to feed developing larvae, while also visiting flowers for nectar. The open paper nest allows direct observation of the wasps tending individual cells, a behavior distinct from the enclosed nests of yellowjackets. Colonies are founded by one or several cooperating queens, and workers will defend the nest if it is disturbed, though the species is generally considered less defensive than some yellowjacket species.

A mated queen, sometimes joined by other queens in a cooperative founding group, begins a small paper nest in spring and lays the first eggs, which develop into workers through complete metamorphosis. Workers then take over foraging and nest-building as the colony grows through summer. In late summer, new queens and males are produced and disperse to mate, after which the colony declines with colder weather, leaving only newly mated queens to overwinter in sheltered spots and found new colonies the following spring.