Paper Wasp

Description:

These large wasps are easy to recognize by their bright gold color. The word ‘flavus’ is Latin for yellow or golden. They are found in abundance in Arizona in the same region as Saguaro cacti. Polistes wasps have a characteristic flight with long legs dangling below the body. Only the females sting. Males have much longer antennae and the ends have a sharp right angle bend. Female faces are triangular whereas the male faces are more square and paler. The thin paper hexagonal-shaped nest (comb) is often found under a building overhang and is attached by a petiole-like structure. In spring, the female chews wood fibers which when mixed with saliva forms the ‘paper’ to make the hexagonal-shaped cells. The mandibles are able to precisely calibrate the thickness of the cell walls.

Habitat:

This nest was in a tree several feet from the road.