EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Explanation:   A common and beautiful wasp of western North America, the paper wasp builds nests of single combs that hang by a narrow stalk under tree vegetation or eaves of buildings.  Paper wasps and thread-waisted wasps have, well, a surprisingly narrow thread-like waist (technically, the abdomen is stalked at the base and forms a pedicel or petiole between the abdomen and thorax; see photo below).  

Paper wasps form social colonies with workers, queens, and males.  Adults feed on nectar, fruits, and insects.   Social wasps can have adverse effects on other species, through direct predation and indirect disruption of prey and resource depletion.  

In at least one species of paper wasp, the long-lived males dominate over female nests.  

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The European paper wasp (Polistes dominulus) is spreading in northeastern U.S. and is posing a threat to birds.  The wasp builds nests within bird nest boxes and prefers cavities, building a new nest annually.  

Acknowledgment:  Many thanks to James M. Carpenter, Vespidae expert and Curator of Hymenoptera, Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, for the identification.