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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Bees, Ants, and Stinging Wasps » Ants, Stinging Wasps, and Hornets (Vespoidea) » Yellowjackets, Paper Wasps, and Hornets; Potter, Mason and Pollen Wasps (Vespidae) » Paper Wasps (Polistinae) » Polistes » Polistes aurifer
Photo#230491
Paper Wasp, Polistes aurifer - Polistes aurifer - female
Copyright © 2008 iNaturalist

Paper Wasp, Polistes aurifer - Polistes aurifer - Female
Palo Alto, Arastradero Preserve, Sobey Pond, Santa Clara County, California, USA
May 17, 2008
Size: ~18 mm
Commonly seen on surface of Bay Area ponds. ID'd by Bug-guiders as Polistes aurifer. Would this be a female? What phase?
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Contributed by iNaturalist on 1 October, 2008 - 11:00pm
Last updated 3 October, 2008 - 9:54am

I relly like this paper wasp.
I relly like this paper wasp.and i love wasps.i love it.
… bug2, 2 October, 2008 - 8:59am login or register to post comments

Paper wasp, not hornet.
California has no true hornet species. This is a magnificent image of a worker paper wasp, Polistes aurifer. They drink water, often right off the surface of a pond like this. They need more water than most insects since they use their saliva to turn dry wood fibers into paper for constructing their nests.
… Eric R. Eaton, 2 October, 2008 - 1:01am login or register to post comments

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