European Paper Wasp

Description:

Nests are begun by overwintered founding queens or foundresses, which spend about a month in the spring constructing a nest and provisioning offspring, the first of which will become daughter workers in the growing colony. Males are produced later, and when they start to appear, a few daughters may mate and leave their nest, to become foundresses the next season. The switch from production of workers to production of future foundresses (gynes) is not utterly abrupt, as has been considered the case for other species of Polistes.

Habitat:

It is one of the more common and well-known species of social wasps in Europe. It is considered an invasive species in Canada and the United States. The native range of covers much of southern Europe and North Africa, and temperate parts of Asia as far east as China. It has also been introduced to Australia, New Zealand and North and South America.