Red wasps (Polistes carolina) are common across the eastern and south-central United States. These large paper wasps, which can measure up to an inch in length, are known for their distinct reddish-brown coloration and dark wings. They often build their unique nests in sheltered outdoor areas, leading to questions about their social organization and the presence of a queen. Understanding their biology requires recognizing that these wasps maintain a clear, though flexible, colony structure.
The Role of the Foundress Queen
The answer to whether red wasps have a queen is a definitive yes, though the role differs from highly specialized insects like honeybees. Red wasps are primitively eusocial, meaning the queen, often called the “foundress,” is morphologically similar to other females. The foundress is the reproductive dominant female who initiates the nest and lays the vast majority of the colony’s eggs. She maintains her dominance through physical interactions with other females that may join the nest.
Subordinate foundresses, often sisters of the queen, may join the nest to assist with construction and foraging, but their reproductive capability is suppressed. The first female to arrive and begin building the nest typically secures the queen role. This reproductive dominance ensures the colony’s efforts are focused on producing the next generation. If the primary foundress dies, a subordinate female can rapidly assume the queen role, developing fully operational ovaries within about a month.
The Annual Colony Cycle
The life of a red wasp colony follows an annual cycle tied directly to the seasons. The process begins in the spring when a single overwintered queen, having mated the previous fall, emerges to select a nesting site. She performs all initial tasks—building the paper nest cells, foraging, and laying the first eggs—until the first generation of workers emerges.
Once the sterile female workers appear, they take over nest expansion, maintenance, and feeding the larvae. This allows the queen to focus on laying eggs, rapidly increasing the colony’s size through the summer. As autumn approaches, the colony shifts focus from producing workers to creating the next generation of reproductives (new potential queens and males). These new reproductives mate, and the new queens seek shelter for the winter as the original queen and the rest of the colony die off with the first hard frost.
Identifying Red Wasps and Their Nests
Red wasps are recognized by their rust-colored or reddish-brown bodies, which can be up to 25 millimeters long, and their contrasting dark wings. They possess the characteristic pinched “waist” common to paper wasps. Males are often distinguished from females by their smaller size and a distinctly yellower face.
The nests are a key identifying feature, constructed from wood fibers chewed and mixed with saliva to create a paper material. Their nests are umbrella-shaped, consisting of a single exposed layer of hexagonal cells, attached to a surface by a thin stalk called a pedicel. These structures are typically built in protected areas, such as under roof eaves, in hollow trees, or within sheds. While red wasps can be aggressive if their nest is disturbed, they generally defend the colony rather than seek out trouble.