The Paper Wasp is a social insect with annual nests. The queen builds a nest using chewed wood pulp. Adult paper wasps either drink nectar or yummy caterpillar juice. The adults are kind enough to return to the nest and regurgitate the caterpillar milk shake for the larva. But don’t worry the baby wasps return the favor by allowing the adults to drink their saliva (yum yum).
Nests usually have a few dozen workers, but can get rather large if not treated and removed. In the Fall when it gets cold, new young queens will burrow into the ground to over winter waiting for spring to do it all again. The young queen doesn’t reuse the old nest in the spring but starts over by building a new one.
The pictures here are actually some microscope shots of wasps in development inside the nest. Thought it was interesting since most people never get this close to them.
