Metric paper wasp
Female Metric paper wasps have an almost entirely red head and midsection, with black kept to a small triangle around the simple eyes.
| Where | Woodland edges, structures and gardens |
|---|---|
| Size | 19 to 35 mm body length |
| When | March to November |
The Metric paper wasp is a dark, narrow-waisted wasp. Females show extensive rust-red coloring on the head and midsection with only a small black patch, a black abdomen, and yellow legs; males have squarer, mostly yellow faces. The underside of the first abdominal segment is noticeably more convex than in the similar Northern paper wasp.
Colonies build small, open, umbrella-shaped paper nests tucked under eaves, door frames and other sheltered structures. Adults chew up caterpillars to feed their own larvae and also visit flowers and honeydew for their own energy, and only females carry a stinger, which they use to defend the nest if it is disturbed.
Traits
Habitat
Towns
Colour
Red, Black, Yellow
Active
Day
To people
Take care
Only females sting; they are not aggressive away from the nest but will sting repeatedly to defend it if disturbed.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Overall reddish-brown all over, without the sharp red-and-black contrast and yellow legs of the Metric paper wasp.
Questions
Is the Metric paper wasp dangerous to people?
Take care. Only females sting; they are not aggressive away from the nest but will sting repeatedly to defend it if disturbed.
When can you see the Metric paper wasp?
The Metric paper wasp can be seen from March to November, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by Katja Schulz, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist Licence
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Bees, wasps and ants›Potter wasps›Polistes
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.