Polistes (Polistella) humilis

1 Common Paper Wasp at Tuross Head, NSW

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Identification history

	Polistes (Polistella) humilis	27 Apr 2025	DiBickers
	Polistes (Polistella) humilis	24 May 2023	wwwendy

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User's notes

Seeking confirmation that this species was in fact the Common Paper Wasp and not the Asian variety

3 comments

GrahamH wrote:

25 May 2023

Polistes species are commonly known as paper nest wasps because they make their nests from grey wood fibre mixed with saliva. The diet is primarily lepidopteran larvae and small spiders which is carried back to the nest and 'carved up' for feeding to the queen and larvae.
P. humilis appears to be a common pollinator becaus eof its abundance, but credible scientific studies are needed to confirm the species pollination efficiency.

wwwendy wrote:

28 May 2023

Thank you Graham -haven’t located the nest but good to know this is a native species as there is an increasing presence in the region of the Asian Paper wasp.

DiBickers wrote:

27 Apr 2025

Polistes humilis ssp. humilis

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Location information

Places Tuross Head, NSW

Sighting information

4 - 15 Abundance
wwwendy Recorded by
Collections
wwwendy NatureMapr South Coast Social or paper-nest wasps (Vespidae, Polistinae & Vespinae) Wasps (Hymenoptera, Apocrita) Insects

Additional information

Choko vine Associated plant
- Associated animal
5mm to 12mm Animal size
Unknown Gender
Alive / healthy Animal health
Collecting pollen Insect behaviour on flower

Species information

Polistes (Polistella) humilis Scientific name
Common Paper Wasp Common name
Not Sensitive
Local native
Non-invasive or negligible
Up to 3648.9m Recorded at altitude
Machine learning
External link More information

Record quality

Images or audio
More than one media file
Verified by an expert moderator
Nearby sighting(s) of same species
GPS evidence of location
Description
Additional attributes

Australian Capital Territory

New South Wales

Queensland

Northern Territory

Western Australia

South Australia

Victoria

Tasmania