Paper Wasp Identification Guide
Identify a paper wasp by its slender, elongated body, long dangling legs, and open umbrella-shaped papery nest.
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Key Visual Features
Paper wasps are slender, long-legged wasps named for the distinctive open-comb nests they construct from chewed wood fiber.
- Size: About 5/8 to 1 inch (16–25 mm) long, generally longer and slimmer than yellow jackets.
- Color: Brownish-red to dark brown base color with yellow or reddish markings and banding, varying by species.
- Body shape: Narrow, elongated body with a slender, distinctly pinched waist and a long, tapered abdomen.
- Legs: Long legs that visibly dangle below the body during flight, a helpful identifying trait in the air.
- Wings: Two pairs of smoky-tinted or clear wings, folded lengthwise along the back at rest.
- Antennae: Long, elbowed antennae, often reddish-brown or orange in color.
Where and When You'll See Them
Paper wasps build open, umbrella-shaped nests made of a papery material formed from chewed wood pulp and saliva, typically suspended by a single stalk under eaves, tree branches, or other overhangs. The nest's hexagonal cells are visibly exposed, unlike the fully enclosed nests of yellow jackets and hornets. They are most active during the day in warm months, from spring through early fall, tending to their nest and foraging on nectar and other small food sources. Colony activity declines with cooler weather, and only newly mated queens survive the winter to start new nests.
Similar-Looking Insects
- Yellow jackets: Shorter, stockier, and more brightly banded, with legs that tuck in more closely during their faster, more darting flight; nests are fully enclosed.
- Hornets: Larger and bulkier overall, usually with more black-and-white or black-and-yellow contrast, and build large, fully enclosed papery nests.
- Mud daubers: Have an even more pronounced thread-thin waist and build hardened mud tube nests rather than papery open-comb structures.
Quick ID Checklist
- Slender body with a narrow, tapered abdomen
- Long legs that dangle visibly during flight
- Brownish-red to dark brown coloring with yellow markings
- Builds open, umbrella-shaped papery nests with visible cells
- Nest suspended by a single stalk under eaves or branches
Frequently asked questions
How do I tell a paper wasp from a yellow jacket?
Paper wasps have a longer, slimmer body with legs that dangle visibly in flight, while yellow jackets are shorter, stockier, more brightly banded, and keep their legs tucked in during faster flight.
What does a paper wasp nest look like?
It is an open, umbrella-shaped structure made of a papery material, with the hexagonal cells visibly exposed, typically hanging from a single stalk under an eave or branch.
How is a paper wasp nest different from a hornet nest?
Paper wasp nests are open with visible cells, while hornet nests are fully enclosed in a papery outer envelope, hiding the comb from view.
What color are paper wasps usually?
Most are brownish-red to dark brown with yellow or reddish markings, though exact coloring and banding patterns vary somewhat between different paper wasp species.
Paper Wasp identified by the community
Recent Paper Wasp finds identified with Bug Identifier.
