Photo: Zygy, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Kansas City Pest Identification
Polistes spp.Paper Wasp Identification
The long-legged wasp behind the open, umbrella-shaped comb under your eave, porch ceiling, or grill lid. Common on every Kansas City house, and manageable — but a nest by the front door gets somebody stung.
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How to Identify It
Slender, brown or reddish with yellow markings, long legs that hang down in flight, and a small exposed paper comb with visible cells, attached by a single stalk. No outer covering on the nest.
Size: 16–25 mm
Commonly Confused With
Yellowjackets (stockier, brighter, hidden nest) and mud daubers (thread-thin waist, mud tube nest). The European paper wasp is very yellow and often mistaken for a yellowjacket.
Why It Shows Up
They nest in any sheltered overhang: eaves, soffits, porch ceilings, door frames, mailboxes, grill and playset cavities, window shutters, and inside attic vents. In fall, fertilized queens squeeze into attics and wall voids to overwinter and then show up inside on warm winter days.
Where Homeowners Find It
Under eaves and deck railings, behind shutters, inside the grill lid, on the underside of patio furniture, in the corner of a window frame, and — in late winter — buzzing at an upstairs window.
Seasonal Activity in KC
Queens start nests in April; nests peak in August at 20–75 wasps; workers become aggressive in September; nests are abandoned after frost.
Risk Level
They defend the nest but are not aggressive away from it. Stings are painful and a problem for allergic people. Multiple nests near doors and play areas are the typical reason for a call.
What You Can Do Yourself
- • Knock down small early-season nests (April–May, one or two wasps) at night with a broom from a distance.
- • Fill shutter gaps and cap open fence post and railing ends.
- • Leave large late-summer nests to a pro; the colony is at full strength and defensive.
What Professional Treatment Involves
Treatment of each nest with aerosol or dust, physical removal of the comb, and a residual treatment on the surfaces they favor (eaves, soffits, railings) to discourage re-nesting through the season. Attic and soffit vents are checked for overwintering queens.
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Common Questions
How do I tell a paper wasp from something that looks similar?
Yellowjackets (stockier, brighter, hidden nest) and mud daubers (thread-thin waist, mud tube nest). The European paper wasp is very yellow and often mistaken for a yellowjacket.
Do I need professional treatment for paper wasp?
Treatment of each nest with aerosol or dust, physical removal of the comb, and a residual treatment on the surfaces they favor (eaves, soffits, railings) to discourage re-nesting through the season. Attic and soffit vents are checked for overwintering queens.