CLOSED: wasp/hornet/ .. Which has a nest like a bees comb?

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marzissa Irvine, CA Sep 15, 2010

Just wondering if there is a general rule .... one insect makes paper nests, one makes comb nests?

i've got some wasps that I want to ID that make a comb nest. Please help me out. I'm not sure if I should exterminate them.
They don't seem particularly aggressive (the nest is high up on an overhang), but I did get stung once.

I can get a picture of the wasp if it would help.

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suunto Sinks Grove, WV Sep 15, 2010

Sounds like paper wasps in the genus Polistes - see http://tinyurl.com/24u9s3z for an example. Their nests usually are open, with no papery covering. They do not appear particularly aggressive, but will sting if their nest is disturbed.

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marzissa Irvine, CA Sep 15, 2010

Thank you, you're exactly right that it was a paper wasp.

Is that right, the 'paper nests' of other vespidae are just a covering for the comb?



Post #8101148
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suunto Sinks Grove, WV Sep 15, 2010

That's correct. Also, the covered nests usually have more than one layer of cells, whereas the open nests of Polistes usually have but a single layer. The nest of the introduced species, Polistes dominula, may be more complex - see http://tinyurl.com/2ahy2ux

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