Paper Wasps in South Central Texas: ID, Nests and Control
That umbrella-shaped comb hanging under your eave, open cells facing down, almost always belongs to paper wasps. A nest out of everyone's way can usually stay, because these wasps hunt caterpillars; a nest by a door, a gate latch or a play set is worth removing before the colony grows. If it's high, inside a vent, or someone at home is allergic to stings, let a professional handle it.
Call or text Pest Trappers at (210) 281-1064, or book online and the office will confirm a time.
What does a paper wasp look like up close? #
Paper wasps (genus Polistes) are long and slim, with a narrow waist and smoky black wings that fold lengthwise along the body when they land. The AgriLife field guide puts adults at 3/4 inch to 1 inch. Color varies a lot: some are reddish orange, others dark brown, and many carry yellow bands or spots.
Two kinds come up often in Texas yards:
- ***Polistes exclamans*:** brown with yellow markings.
- ***Polistes carolina*:** reddish brown all over. This is the species usually called the red wasp, and it is still a paper wasp.
Watch their body language at the nest. TPWD's magazine notes that workers guarding the comb will shake their front legs as a warning, which is your cue to back off.
How is the nest different from other wasp nests? #
The nest is the easiest clue. A paper wasp comb is one flat layer of six-sided paper cells, held up by a single short stalk, with no outer shell covering it. You can see straight into the cells from below. AgriLife notes the comb seldom tops 200 cells, and the Texas Apiary Inspection Service (TAIS) says an undisturbed nest can grow to roughly 6 to 8 inches wide with several dozen wasps on it. A mature colony usually runs about 20 to 30 adults.
| What you see | Most likely | Where to read more |
|---|---|---|
| Open comb, cells visible, one stalk | Paper wasp | This page |
| Same open comb, rusty-red wasps | Red wasp (a paper wasp) | /pests/red-wasp |
| Closed paper ball with one entrance, often in the ground | Yellowjacket | /pests/yellowjacket |
| Gray, pear-shaped paper nest up in a tree | Baldfaced hornet | /pests/baldfaced-hornet |
| Mud tubes or lumps, no paper at all | Mud dauber | /pests/mud-dauber |
A football-shaped paper nest high in a tree or shrub canopy points to something else; see the Mexican honey wasp page.
Where do they build around San Antonio area homes? #
An AgriLife entomologist, Wizzie Brown, calls paper wasps probably the wasps Texans run into most, and TAIS lists them as common statewide. Around a house they favor shelter from rain and sun:
- under eaves and roof overhangs (the most common spot)
- inside attics, garages and storage sheds
- in barns and outbuildings on larger lots
- in shrubs and trees close to the house
Expect to find them wherever there's a sheltered horizontal surface near a doorway, porch ceiling or patio cover.
How does the paper wasp year unfold? #
A queen that survived the winter starts each nest alone in spring. Her first daughters take over foraging and building, and the comb grows through the warm months. In late summer and fall the colony raises males and new queens, then winds down. Only the young queens make it through winter.
A few patterns are worth knowing:
- New nest every year. TAIS says the old comb is abandoned and never reused, but AgriLife notes the new one often goes up in the same general area.
- Winter visitors. Queens waiting out the cold gather in high, sheltered places such as peaked attics and chimneys. On a warm winter day a few may wander into living space. AgriLife describes them as not aggressive; you can swat one or carry it outside.
- Spring is your window. LSU AgCenter suggests checking likely spots from March through May, because a young nest with only the queen on it is easy to knock down.
Is a paper wasp sting dangerous? #
For most people a sting means sharp local pain and swelling. Only females sting, and each one can sting more than once. The AgriLife bulletin on venomous animals of Texas says the reaction starts right away and should ease within a few hours to a few days.
The real risk is allergy or a mass attack. AgriLife's field guide warns that sensitive people, or anyone stung many times, can have whole-body reactions that may turn fatal. Severe allergic reactions usually show up within 20 to 30 minutes, according to AgriLife's paper wasp publication E-239. Trouble breathing or swallowing, weakness or dizziness after a sting means calling 911.
For an ordinary sting, the CDC's outdoor worker guidance covers the basics: wash with soap and water, apply ice, and leave it alone rather than scratching.
Should you leave the nest or take it down? #
Paper wasps eat caterpillars, and many gardeners count them as helpers. A comb on a back fence corner that no one walks past can often stay. A nest beside a door, over a grill, inside a mailbox or on a swing set is a different story; colonies defend the nest hard when bumped.
If you decide to handle a small, reachable nest yourself:
- Wait until late evening, or try early morning or right before dark, when the wasps are home and slow.
- Use a wasp spray with a long reach, about 8 to 10 feet according to Brown at AgriLife, so you stay out of range.
- Leave the comb in place until every wasp is dead. AgriLife says that can take up to two days.
- Then scrape it off and wash the spot to remove the scent marks that draw wasps back.
A strong jet of water from a hose, aimed from a good distance, can also knock a nest off an eave without any insecticide.
Skip the do-it-yourself route entirely if you have a heart condition or a known venom allergy.
When should a professional take over? #
E-239 is blunt that nobody should climb a ladder to deal with a wasp nest without protective gear and prior experience. Call for help when:
- the nest is above head height and needs a ladder
- wasps are coming and going from an attic vent, soffit gap or wall void
- someone in the household is allergic to stings
- you've knocked nests down and they keep reappearing in the same area
Do Texas rules apply? #
There's no Texas rule aimed at paper wasps themselves. Anyone paid to control them, though, must hold a structural pest control business license from the Texas Department of Agriculture under the Texas Occupations Code, Chapter 1951. Ask any company you hire for its license number.
How Pest Trappers handles paper wasps #
The visit starts with a look around the outside of the house, the eaves, the attic access and any outbuildings, so we find the nest you called about and any others nearby. The technician then walks you through the options for each nest, including whether one tucked away where nobody walks can simply be left. Any product used is applied exactly as its label directs.
Pest Trappers LLC (TPCL #0887549) is a family-owned company serving homes and businesses. Pricing is given after the inspection, so call for a quote based on what we actually find. Se habla español.
We also have local paper wasp pages for Boerne, Helotes, Stone Oak and New Braunfels.