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Paper Wasps (Polistinae)
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Subgenus Fuscopolistes (Polistes Subgenus Fuscopolistes)
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Northern Paper Wasp (Polistes fuscatus)
Photo#123793
Copyright © 2007
Vincent J Hickey
Wasp Insecticide -
Polistes fuscatus
-
Kennebunk, York County, Maine, USA
June 30, 2007
Size: ~15mm
I thought this was P.fuscatus..but it has a winged victim. Do Paper wasps kill, or is the assassin something different. Any help with the Vic?
Images of this individual:
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Contributed by
Vincent J Hickey
on 2 July, 2007 - 3:47pm
Last updated 20 April, 2018 - 12:22am
I'm not a [i]Polistes[/i] exp
I'm not a
Polistes
expert, but this looks P*metricus, or even more so, P*parametricus to me. Placement here needs to be justified.
As for the prey, rather hard to see, but I'm leaning toward something dipterous, maybe a crane fly.
…
James C. Trager
, 12 March, 2014 - 1:43pm
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Although Paper Wasps...
Prey mainly on caterpillars or other eruciform larvae, they do sometimes kill winged insect like this Dipteran fly, provided these are not quick enough to avoid capture.
Your pics are interesting in their own right by showing the EXTREME darkness of at least some Maine representatives of Polistes fuscatus.
…
Richard Vernier
, 2 July, 2007 - 5:01pm
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P. fuscatus
This is indeed P. fuscatus, I've never seen one this dark though!!
Paper wasps usually hunt for caterpillars/soft bodied insects for their young, but anything that suits their needs is a possibility for a food source.
Adults mostly feed on nectar, some of the juices from the malaxated (chewed) prey for their larvae, regurgitations from nestmates, and larval saliva (known as larva-adult trophallaxis, the larvae secrete drops of saliva which the wasps eat).
…
George Waldren
, 2 July, 2007 - 5:00pm
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Wasp Insecticide
Image on Right is a true color mstch; the Left image was lightened in PS in an attempt to ID the wasp. It is missing the signature of P.fuscatus....the red splotch on lateral abdomen. It is indeed darker than most Pf's...even others I saw the same day. Thanks to you and R.Vernier for the info. VJH
…
Vincent J Hickey
, 3 July, 2007 - 11:10am
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