Paper Wasps

Location: North America, Europe, North Africa, and Asia.
Species: Paper Wasps
Added: 2025-11-17
Recorded: 2023-5-31
Source: Smithsonian Channel

Discover the World of the paper wasp. Their paper mache like nests are made from chewed plant fibres and saliva and they are able to choose if a larva grows up to be a worker or a ‘gyne’–a primary reproductive female. They do this by drumming on the walls of the cell where the larva is incubating.

Because they are a known pollinator and feed on garden pests, paper wasps are often considered to be beneficial by gardeners.