Northern Paper Wasp (NPS National Capital Region Bees and Wasps)

Northern Paper Wasp

Polistes fuscatus

Summary ¹¹

Polistes fuscatus, common name northern paper wasp or golden paper wasp, is a species of social paper wasps belonging to the family Vespidae.

Associations ¹²

Wasps feed on the nectar of plants and in doing so, they transfer pollen from one plant to another, aiding in plant reproduction. They are thus essential to ensure that plants reproduce. To the extent that these wasps fall prey to other animals, they affect the survival and reproduction of those predators. Polistes fuscatus also affects species upon which it preys in order to feed larvae.

Ecosystem Impact: pollinates

Behaviour ¹³

As social wasps, P. fuscatus must have communication avenues for nest and hierarchy building and for defense. In order to establish dominance, a queen adopts a series of threatening postures that cause her underlings to subordinate themselves.

A chemical producing gland towards the posterior portion of the wasp produces a chemical that separates eggs laid by the queen from eggs laid by workers. The queen uses this chemical to decide which eggs to eat and which eggs to allow to grow.

Outsiders, even conspecifics, are not well-received in an existing nest and are quickly removed. As an outsider cannot be discerned visually or through tactile sensation, P. fuscatus relies on chemical cues. Pheromones are released by the wasps and the pheromones are specific to each nest. The specific chemicals are acquired upon birth by the wasps. It is extremely difficult for an individual to become accepted into a neighboring colony, unless it establishes a new colny of its own.

Communication Channels: visual ; chemical

Other Communication Modes: pheromones

Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; chemical

Habitat ¹⁴

Polistes fuscatus nests in woodlands and savannas. It is fairly common around human habitations, especially where exposed wood is present and can be used for nest material.

Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial

Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; forest

Other Habitat Features: urban ; suburban ; agricultural

Life cycle ¹⁵

Polistes fuscatus queens lay fertilized eggs into individual cells within the nest. The larvae which subsequently hatch from these eggs are fed and protected by the queen and subordinate females until they are ready to pupate. The larvae are then covered with a silky covering. The first generation emerges from pupation as into smaller, infertile females. These are the true workers of the colony. Later in the life of the nest, males and fertile female offspring are produced. The fertile female offspring are the next generation of queens. They survive the winter and start new nests the following year.

Development - Life Cycle: metamorphosis

Life expectancy ¹⁶

The lifespan of P. fuscatus is approximately one year, or the time it takes a queen to develop and to mate. Larvae from that are laid during the summer are well fed because of abundant food, and are capable of becoming queens. These eggs hatch before fall and the resulting offspring hibernate during fall and winter. The new queens emerge in the spring to begin nests and lay eggs. By fall, after laying eggs that will develop into new queens, these queens die. All accompanying workers and males die with the queen.

Average lifespan
Status: wild: 1 years.

Reproduction ¹⁷

Males and females mate at the end of the summer, after the nest has been abandoned. Venom from females acts as an attractant for males, drawing them from at least 2 meters away.

Mating System: cooperative breeder ; eusocial

The mating season for P. fuscatus is during the spring and summer. Fertile females are hatched towards the end of summer and they mate with males. With the onset of winter, the old queen, workers, and males die and the young females enter hibernation. They emerge in spring to build nests and produce offspring.

Breeding season: Breeding occus in spring and summer.

Key Reproductive Features: semelparous ; seasonal breeding ; sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); oviparous

Parental Investment: female parental care

Uses ¹⁸

Due to the proximity of the wasps to humans and their habitation in houses and other buildings, they can prove hazardous. They can inflict stings on domestic animals in places such as barns where they may have nests. Humans are also at risk of aggravating these insects and suffering from stings.

Negative Impacts: injures humans (bites or stings); household pest

Sources and Credits

(c) Bruce J. Marlin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Polistes_fuscatus.jpg
(c) Larry Swift, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Larry Swift
(c) Anita Gould, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Anita Gould, http://www.flickr.com/photos/anitagould/4051069517/
(c) dealfarms, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) BJ Stacey, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/finaticphotography/8316355494/
(c) BJ Stacey, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/finaticphotography/8174192557/
(c) Phil Myers, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://animaldiversity.org/collections/contributors/phil_myers/hymenoptera/wasp3671/medium.jpg
(c) Phil Myers, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://animaldiversity.org/collections/contributors/phil_myers/hymenoptera/wasp3676/medium.jpg
(c) Anita, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3219/3000898269_ddde59f6ba_o.jpg
(c) Anita, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2439/4051069517_c435fbfd7c_o.jpg
Adapted by Allie Hay from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polistes_fuscatus
(c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31416941
(c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31416938
(c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31416933
(c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31416935
(c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31416937
(c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31416936
(c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31416943

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