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How to identify it
- Slender wasps about 1 inch long with long legs and a distinctly thin waist; most native species are brown to rust colored.[1][2]
- Sizes differ by source and region: UC IPM gives about 1 inch for western species, while Clemson says the most common paper wasps are about 5/8 to 3/4 inch, many brownish with yellow markings and a few with reddish ones.[1][5]
- The invasive European paper wasp is black and yellow like a yellowjacket but has orange-tipped antennae and a thinner waist.[3][2]
- Penn State notes that many native paper wasps are darker, in blacks, browns and dark reds, and a few are entirely dark red.[3]
- Legs dangle in flight.[3][6]
- Nests hang from a stalk like an open umbrella, with the cells visible from below; they rarely grow larger than an outstretched hand.[1][3][6]
Look-alikes
| Look-alike | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Yellowjacket | Shorter, stockier, with a very short waist, black antennae and legs tucked in flight; nests are enclosed in a paper envelope, often underground.[3][1][7] |
| Mud daubers | Black and yellow thread-waisted solitary wasps that build hard mud nests; they don't defend the nest and rarely sting.[1] |
Where it lives
Nests are built under eaves, gutters and ledges, in attics, sheds and barns, behind shutters, and inside porch lights, grills and mailboxes. The European paper wasp, first reported near Boston in 1978, has spread across the United States.[2][3]
Biology and life cycle
Mated queens overwinter and start new nests in spring; colonies usually last one season and hold about 15 to 200 wasps.[1]
How nests start differs among species and sources. MDC says one or a few overwintered females begin each colony, usually in April, with typically only one egg-laying queen; Clemson says several queens commonly start a nest together until one dominates and the others serve as workers.[6][5]
In the European paper wasp, Penn State says, larvae can become adults in as little as 40 days when it is warm and food is plentiful.[3]
Paper wasps are predators of caterpillars and other insects; the European species is displacing native paper wasps.[3][1][6]
Penn State describes uneven displacement: in parts of Michigan the European species has completely replaced the northern paper wasp, while in Ontario the two occur at about a 1:1 ratio.[3]
Adults mainly drink nectar and fruit juice, MDC and Clemson say; the larvae are fed chewed-up caterpillars and other insects.[6][5][3]
New queens overwinter under tree bark or inside building walls, and MDC says a warm spell can wake them, which is why a wasp may be flying on a warm February day.[6]
Damage and signs
- Problems arise mainly when nests are over doorways, windows or in fruit trees where people work.[1][5]
- Paper wasps aren't very aggressive, but stings happen when people bump into nests hidden in bushes or around the house. Penn State says the European species' habit of nesting in enclosed spots can raise that risk, since homeowners may not know a nest is there.[2][5][3]
- Penn State lists odd European paper wasp nest sites, including exterior light fixtures, bird boxes and gas grills, motor homes and boats that sit unused.[3]
- Clemson notes that paper wasps also feed on fruit, spoiling its appearance, and scrape wood from houses for nest material.[5]
- The European paper wasp was the main paper wasp foraging in central Kentucky pollinator gardens, and in 120 observed encounters with monarch caterpillars on milkweed it killed most second- to fourth-stage ones. Predation was much higher in urban gardens than rural ones, and the wasps nested in butterfly hibernation boxes.[8]
Health risk
A paper wasp sting is usually painful but can be cared for at home. For a person allergic to the venom, though, it can cause anaphylaxis, a severe and potentially life-threatening reaction that needs immediate emergency care.[9][10]
Control
Prevention
Leave nests that are away from doors and paths; paper wasps kill many pest insects.[1][5][6]
Keep them out
Cut down on nest sites by screening vents and attic openings and caulking cracks in soffits and eaves. Clemson adds that fresh paint or varnish makes it hard for nests to stick, and thinning shrubs discourages nests on inner branches.[3][5]
Traps and physical control
Knocking down a newly started nest early in spring usually makes the founding queen go elsewhere.[1][3]
Wait a few days after treatment to be sure the colony is dead, UK says, then scrape or knock the nest down; Clemson says removing it helps discourage new nests.[2][5]
Pesticides
Kentucky and Clemson are less cautious about paper wasps. If the nest is reachable, both suggest a wasp and hornet spray that reaches about 20 feet. UK says paper wasps can even be sprayed by day if you don't stand directly under the nest, while Clemson advises early evening, with no flashlight aimed at the nest.[2][5]
For nests hidden inside eaves and soffits, Penn State suggests blowing a labeled insecticide dust into the openings at night, taking care not to breathe it.[3]
When to call a professional
If a nest must be removed, UC IPM says the safest course is professional help: wasps attack when they sense spray on their nest, and stings are likely even at night.[1]
Common questions
- Are paper wasps aggressive?
- Not very. They tend to avoid people and rarely sting unless their nest is disturbed.[1][2][5][6]
- Do paper wasps reuse old nests?
- Very rarely. MDC says nests are started from scratch each spring.[6]
- What should not be done for a bad reaction to a wasp sting?
- While waiting for emergency help, MedlinePlus says not to apply a tourniquet and not to give stimulants, aspirin or other pain medicine unless a health care provider prescribed them. Use the person's emergency epinephrine kit if they have one.[10]
Sources
- University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Pest Notes: Yellowjackets and Other Social Wasps, Publication 7450 (March 2012).” ipm.ucanr.edu/legacy_assets/PDF/PESTNOTES/pnyellowjackets.pdf (accessed 2026-11-11)
- University of Kentucky Entomology, “ENTFACT-620: Controlling Wasps, Hornets, and Yellowjackets.” entomology.mgcafe.uky.edu/ef620 (accessed 2026-11-11)
- Penn State Extension, “European Paper Wasp.” extension.psu.edu/european-paper-wasp (accessed 2026-11-11)
- iNaturalist, “Polistes dominula taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/84640 (accessed 2026-11-11)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Center, “Paper Wasps.” hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/paper-wasps/ (accessed 2026-11-11)
- Missouri Department of Conservation, “Paper Wasps, Field Guide.” mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/paper-wasps (accessed 2026-11-11)
- Missouri Department of Conservation, “Yellowjackets (Vespula Wasps), Field Guide.” mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/yellowjackets-vespula-wasps (accessed 2026-11-11)
- Scientific Reports, via PubMed, “Baker AM, Potter DA (2020), Invasive paper wasp turns urban pollinator gardens into ecological traps for monarch butterfly larvae, Scientific Reports 10:9553.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32533089/ (accessed 2026-11-11). Cited from the PubMed abstract.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NIOSH, “Insects and Scorpions at Work.” www.cdc.gov/niosh/outdoor-workers/about/insects-and-scorpions.html (accessed 2026-11-11)
- MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, “Insect bites and stings (Medical Encyclopedia 000033).” medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000033.htm (accessed 2026-11-11)