Q. I was getting ready to water my garden when I was stung by a red wasp. I looked up and realized there’s a paper wasp nest near the faucet. I’ve tried to get rid of wasps around my house, but haven’t been successful. I’d like to find out more about them.
A. In his reference book “Insects of Texas,” David H. Kattes writes: “Almost everyone who has ventured outdoors (in Texas) is painfully familiar with the paper wasp. These social insects build papery nests made from chewed wood, leaves, and other locally available materials. All species share the characteristic of folding their wings lengthwise when at rest.
Polistes carolina is reddish and often referred to as "red wasp." Polistes exclamans is another common paper wasp in Texas but is often incorrectly referred to as "yellow jacket."
