This wasp looks a bit like a yellowjacket but is slimmer, with longer legs, and builds papery gray nests under eaves and in sheds. It’s not from here—it came from Europe and has spread fast.
All across the U.S., especially in urban and suburban areas. They like to build nests on houses, porches, mailboxes—basically, anywhere you don’t want a wasp nest.
It eats bugs like caterpillars (which can be good), but it also builds nests in annoying places, gets too close to people, and stings when it feels threatened.
It pushes out native wasps and other insects.
It’s aggressive when nesting near people.
It spreads fast and is hard to control.
Even though they help eat pests, paper wasps are bad neighbors. They can hurt biodiversity and increase wasp stings around homes. Knowing the difference between helpful pollinators (like bees) and these guys can keep us and nature safer.
