Paper Wasp

Description:

Polistes fuscatus, whose common name is the golden or northern paper wasp, is widely found throughout southern Canada, the United States, and Central America. The physical characteristics of the Polistes fuscatus are highly dependent on the geographic location of its habitat.[6] Throughout the United States, there are three color pattern trends that represent different regions throughout the country.[7] The male Polistes fuscatus is identified by its darkened apical flagellomeres in addition to its darkened dorsal surface of the apical flagellomeres that is common to other species of wasps.[6] Northern females on the other hand are easily identified by the blackening of their entire bodies which may or may not have markings of other colors.[8] Many southern Polistes fuscatus, however, have additional markings and may resemble wasps of other species.[6] The facial and abdominal markings of Polistes fuscatus are highly variable. They include a variety of different patterns, such as small dots, long stripes, clypeus blotches, yellow abdominal dots, upper clypeus stripes, and combinations of both clypeus edge and tip colorations. Furthermore, some wasps have these facial and abdominal patterns in brown and black instead of yellow.[8] These markings colors, however, are often influenced by the geographic location of the wasp.[6] The length of the Polistes fuscatus often ranges between 15 to 21 mm. The fore wing length of the Polistes fuscatus ranges between 11.5 – 17.0 mm; in general, the fore wing of males is above 13.0 mm, whereas females have a fore wing length above 11.0. Both males and females have rather slender bodies and have a waist that connects the thorax to the abdomen. The female has a venomous sting. With length and coloration also varies throughout the seasonal year of when the wasps emerge.

Habitat:

All wasps build nests. Whereas bees secrete a waxy substance to construct their nests, wasps create their familiar papery abodes from wood fibers scraped with their hard mandibles and chewed into a pulp.