Polistinae

The Polistinae are eusocial wasps closely related to the more familiar yellow jackets, but placed in their own subfamily, containing four tribes; with some 1100 species total, it is the second-most diverse subfamily within the Vespidae, and while most species are tropical or subtropical, they include some of the most frequently encountered large wasps in temperate regions. They are also known as paper wasps, which is a misleading term since other wasps (including yellow jackets) also build nests out of paper, and because some epiponine wasps (e.g., Polybia emaciata) build theirs out of mud, nonetheless, the name "paper wasp" seems to apply mostly, but not exclusively, to the Polistinae, especially the Polistini. Many wasps, such as Polistes fuscatus, Polistes annularis, and Polistes exclam

Polistinae

The Polistinae are eusocial wasps closely related to the more familiar yellow jackets, but placed in their own subfamily, containing four tribes; with some 1100 species total, it is the second-most diverse subfamily within the Vespidae, and while most species are tropical or subtropical, they include some of the most frequently encountered large wasps in temperate regions. They are also known as paper wasps, which is a misleading term since other wasps (including yellow jackets) also build nests out of paper, and because some epiponine wasps (e.g., Polybia emaciata) build theirs out of mud, nonetheless, the name "paper wasp" seems to apply mostly, but not exclusively, to the Polistinae, especially the Polistini. Many wasps, such as Polistes fuscatus, Polistes annularis, and Polistes exclam