Paper Wasp
Long-legged brown-and-yellow wasps that build open umbrella nests under eaves and furniture.
Paper Wasp (Polistes) is a high-concern pest in Florida homes and yards. Rhino Pest Management is a licensed (#JB242881) and insured bee & wasp removal company serving Florida's Treasure & Space Coast, rated 5.0★ by 16 Google reviewers. The estimate is always free — (772) 589-6842.
Photo: Anna N Chapman (CC0) · Wikimedia Commons
Slender, 18–25 mm, brownish with yellow markings and notably long legs that dangle in flight. Build open, umbrella-shaped gray paper nests with visible hexagonal cells — no outer paper cover like yellow jackets.
Under eaves, inside shutters, in grills, under outdoor furniture, in attic vents, in shed doors — any sheltered, elevated surface near a wood source.
- Open, mushroom or umbrella-shaped gray paper nests under eaves, shutters, porch ceilings and inside grills
- Long-legged wasps hovering near nest or foraging on flowers
- Wasps entering and leaving nest entrance hole
Paper wasps sting readily when the nest is approached or accidentally touched. Multiple stings from nest members can cause severe allergic reactions. They return to build new nests in the same locations each season.
Should I call today?
Yes, get it looked at promptly. Paper Wasp causes damage or health problems that compound while you wait, and the cost of that damage is the part that actually gets expensive — not the treatment. An inspection is free, so there's no reason to guess.
Rhino treats and removes paper wasp nests, including hard-to-reach eave and soffit locations, and applies a residual deterrent to nesting surfaces to discourage seasonal return.
Our Bee & Wasp Removal serviceMore stinging insects
Aggressive ground-nesting wasps that sting repeatedly and defend nests violently.
ViewSolitary wasps that build mud tube nests on walls and pack them with paralyzed spiders.
ViewLarge hovering bees that bore perfect round holes in wood trim, fascia and fences.
ViewScientific source
For the biology behind this page, the University of Florida's IFAS Extension publishes a detailed Featured Creatures profile of this species — free to read, and written by entomologists in this state:
Paper Wasp, Red Wasp (Suggested Common Names) Polistes carolina (L.) — UF/IFAS Extension