Guinea Paper Wasps

Guinea paper wasps, Polistes exclamans, are one of the more common paper wasps seen in Texas.  They are reddish brown wasps with yellow markings, about ¾ inch in length with smoky wings. Antennae are tipped with orangish-yellow.  The base of the abdomen where it joins to the thorax is black.  Depending on the temperature of where you are in Texas, it is possible to see the wasps year-round.

Paper wasps make a nest out of chewed wood fiber collected from plant stems, fences, or other wooden structures.  The nest is usually a single layer of cells, open faced, and hangs from a single filament.  The nest is typically constructed in protected areas such as under the eaves of homes, in shrubbery, mailboxes or on fences.

Mated queens overwinter in small aggregations in sheltered locations.  They emerge early in the year, often January and February, and build a small nest in which to lay eggs. Colonies grow in physical size as well as number of wasps as time progresses.

Colonies have three castes: queen, worker, and males.  Workers typically live about 15 days while queens can live up to 3 months. Males are produced when need for mating. There is little to distinguish between queen and worker, and workers can take over egg laying duties if the queen leaves to establish a satellite nest or dies.  Satellite nests help to ensure colony survival if the original nest is parasitized or predated upon. Older workers may also establish satellite colonies as they have more developed ovaries, and once mated, can begin to lay eggs.

Guinea paper wasps are beneficial not only as pollinators, but as predators.  They hunt caterpillars to feed their young. Caterpillars typically come from snout moths, tiger moths, owlet moths, prominent moths, sphinx moths, prominent moths, skippers, and white and sulphur butterflies.

While Guinea wasps are unaggressive away from the nest, they will defend their home and offspring.  If the nest is in an area where a stinging incidence is unlikely, leave it alone to allow the wasps to benefit your garden.  If the nest is built in an area where people or companion animals may get stung- in a mailbox, on playground equipment, etc.- then it is recommended to manage the wasps and then remove the nest.

Early in the season, when nests are just being started by founding females, it may be possible to discourage paper wasps to nest in a certain area by knocking down the nest repeatedly.  This is not recommended when the nest is larger and contains multiple wasps.

Aerosol formulations- both synthetic and naturally derived- are available for paper wasp management.  The nest should be treated either in the early morning or late evening to ensure that wasps are not out foraging for food.  Use caution when treating paper wasp nests.  Not only are you using pesticides, but you are dealing with insects that can sting repeatedly.  After all wasps are gone, knock down the nest, squish it, and throw it away.  You may want to clean the area where the nest was hanging to rid the area of any pheromones that could attract new wasps to the area.

For more information or help with identification, contact Wizzie Brown, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Program Specialist at ebrown@ag.tamu.edu.

This work is supported in part by the Crop Protection and Pest Management, Extension Implementation Program [award no. 2021- 70006-35347/project accession no. 1027036] from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

The information given herein is for educational purposes only.  Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Texas AgriLife Extension Service or the Texas AgriLife Research is implied.

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