Subject: Mystery Nest thing
Location: Oklahoma, USA
August 13, 2017 11:02 pm
This is up above out back doorway and I cant find it anywhere on google or anywhere! Mum thought it was a birds nest…
Signature: Edward
Dear Edward,
This appears to be the nest of a Paper Wasp in the genus Polistes. The individuals in your image look very dark, leading us to believe they might be Polistes metricus which is described on BugGuide as “Very dark–abdomen is black and the thorax dark reddish-brown with black lines. Tibiae and tarsi are yellow.” Based on BugGuide data, the species is reported from Kansas. Of the genus, BugGuide notes: “Not as aggressive as Hornets or Yellowjackets. Often build nests under eaves. May be considered beneficial to gardeners (feed on herbivorous insects).”