I don’t know much about wasps, and had to do some research to find out I was dealing with a paper wasp. The one in the picture is the European paper wasp (Polistes dominulus), and it is trying to make a home on my dwelling. This wasp is not something the cape old timers would have seen: It was first discovered in the US in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1981. Since then it has spread west to Wisconsin and at least as far south as Virginia. It was recently discovered in Sacramento, California and Washington State. It was first found in Michigan in 1994. The European Paper Wasp has a high rate of reproductive increase, and therefore is an excellent invader.
The different wasps have very different faces. That not only helps us humans to see who we are dealing with, but it keeps their societal order straight as well, according to this article: Paper wasps sport face markings to show their strength | MNN – Mother Nature Network.
Paper wasps are social insects with annual nests. A queen emerges from hibernation in the spring and builds a small nest using chewed wood pulp. She raises the first generation of workers on her own. After they emerge, these workers collect food while the queen restricts herself to laying eggs. The larvae are fed pre-chewed caterpillars caught by adults (yes – big ewww factor here), while the adults feed on nectar. Nests are typically small, but can grow up to a 100 workers. In the fall, colonies produce males and new queens, which leave the nest to mate. After mating, the new queens burrow into the ground where they spend the winter. All workers, the males, and the old queen perish around November. The same nest is not used again.
Cute little thing