European Paper Wasp (Polistes dominula)
Slender body, orange antennae, and long hanging hind legs in flight: the paper wasp builds small open nests without a covering, never goes for cake, and is a peaceful beneficial insect!
Homeowners often discover a small gray paper nest (about the size of a five-franc coin to a palm size) under roof tiles, in metal pipes of balcony railings, or in garden sheds, where one can see directly into the open hexagonal cells. This is not an aggressive short-headed wasp, but the peaceful French Paper Wasp (Polistes dominula)!
3 characteristics to immediately recognize the harmless paper wasp:
1. Hanging legs: In flight, the paper wasp lets its long yellow hind legs hang diagonally downward.
2. Open nest: Its nest has no round paper covering and usually contains only 20 to 50 individuals (compared to 5,000 for the German Wasp).
3. No interest in your food: Paper wasps never fly towards cake, ice cream, or meat on the balcony table! They hunt caterpillars and aphids in the garden all summer and coexist peacefully even right next to the balcony door.