Paper wasps , considered to be a pest, are actually good for our environment and agriculture. They eat many of the bugs that are responsible for destroying our crops. They also eat most of the insects around our home.

To identify paper wasps, first look at the size. Paper wasps are big, ¾ to 1inch long. Second, they have colored bodies, depending on the species. They could be reddish-brown or brown with yellow markings and yellow bands.

Each winter the inseminated queen will hibernate until late April early May and then pick her nesting area. Paper wasps are social creatures, their nests have queens, workers and males, but only the inseminated queens are to survive until the following season. As the season begins the queen will be responsible for all tasks while starting a new nest. The queen will pick her nesting site, lay her eggs and protect the nest or defend the colony. The queen lays her eggs one egg for each cell and she begins laying her eggs in the middle so the older larvae are in the middle and the newer larvae further around the nest. As the eggs hatch, the queen feeds the larvae which are covered with silk domes and after several weeks they emerge as fertile workers( female) and take over the responsibilities from the queen. The young female worker will be responsible for finding food, defending the colony, protecting the nest, building the nest- everything except egg-laying.

Building the nest is the next most important job, second only to the job of the queen, as each nest is made up of a stack of paper, pancake shape panels with rows of cells to house, feed, and protect this generation of paper wasps. The paper nest starts off small and umbrella shaped and continues to be built by the workers within the colony. The layers are not covered or enclosed, the nests are open and bugs can come and go from all sides.

The brood, larvae and young workers are fed in the nest, but the adult workers eat juices from ripe fruit, nectar and sugar. They, on occasion, eat caterpillars and other insects.

The paper wasp build their nests around window sills and plants, along soffits, decks, awning, eaves or any open, shaded area protected from rain. It is suggested to knock down the nests at the end of each season so that no other insect moves in. It is not always necessary to use pesticides to get rid of the infestation, sometimes waiting out the season and letting the winter freeze kill off the nest is possible. However this does not prevent getting them again next season.