Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Registration is open for the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events
TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps » Vespoidea » Vespidae » Paper Wasps (Polistinae) » Umbrella Paper Wasps (Polistes) » Subgenus Aphanilopterus (Polistes Subgenus Aphanilopterus) » Guinea Paper Wasp (Polistes exclamans)
Photo#951022
Paper wasps? - Polistes exclamans
Copyright © 2014 bugsrock

Paper wasps? - Polistes exclamans
New Braunfels, Comal County, Texas, USA
July 5, 2014
Size: body approx 2.5 cm
I found this wasp nest on the underside of the roof on our workshop behind our house. I have never seen wasps with markings quite like this, and I would love to know if they are paper wasps of some kind or some other species. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also, I assume these are not going to hurt anything being there on the shop? Thanks in advance!
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by bugsrock on 5 July, 2014 - 4:00pm
Last updated 10 December, 2014 - 12:43pm

Moved
Moved from Polistes.
… bugsrock, 10 December, 2014 - 12:43pm login or register to post comments

P exclamans
These wasps are indeed paper wasps, Polistes exclamans. Exclamans is one of the most gentle and docile of the Polistes species, being less aggressive then the dark-colored fuscatus and metricus.

Exclamans will also give you a clear warning before attacking... the wasps will rear up on their hind legs, arch their abdomens, and flutter their wings while facing you... unlike some other species which will sometimes just attack you with no prior warning!

They should not hurt anything in the shop if you treat them with respect. They wont like fast movements near the nest, but they will generally ignore anything beyond +-7 feet of the nest.
… k jkh, 10 December, 2014 - 12:13pm login or register to post comments

 
Thank you!
Thank you so much for the ID and Info!
… bugsrock, 10 December, 2014 - 12:41pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps.
… Vespula Vulgaris, 19 August, 2014 - 9:41am login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from ID Request.
… john and jane balaban, 16 August, 2014 - 11:04am login or register to post comments

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact