Polistes snelleni is a small black-and-yellow paper wasp of East Asia. It lives in Japan, Korea, northern China, and the Russian Far East and is not found in the US. Its open paper nest grows in one direction and, when large, curls sharply upward. It's sometimes called the Japanese paper wasp.
Appearance
- Appearance
- About ½–⅔ in (11–17 mm) long, black with reddish-brown and yellow markings. It is the smallest paper wasp in Japan.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Sunny grassy or brushy slopes
- Foothills
- Rock overhangs
- Buildings
- Range
- Common in central and northern Japan; also in Korea, northern China, and the Russian Far East. Not present in the US.
- Preferred conditions
- Favors warm, sunny spots such as south-facing slopes with small trees, roadside banks, and rock ledges.
Behavior
- Diet
- Hunts mainly caterpillars, which it chews up and feeds to its larvae.
- Social life
- A single queen starts each nest in spring. Colonies stay small: in Japan, a nest near Sapporo usually has only about 5–15 workers, and even at their peak colonies reach only about 20 workers in Hokkaido and about 50 on Honshu and farther south.
Life cycle
- Breeding season
- In Japan, nests are started around May, the first workers appear in July, and males and new queens emerge in August–September.
- Nest
- A single open comb hung from a short stalk, often 8–24 in (20–60 cm) off the ground on a twig or under a rock ledge. New cells are added on one side only, so big nests bend upward.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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