Paper Wasp photographed during year's first 'bug hunt'

Even though the start of spring is still over two weeks away, the weather has been warm lately, and we’re starting to see a few signs of spring as winter winds down.

Around my house, that means its time to “bug hunt” with the kids.

On Saturday afternoon, the kids and I made the rounds in our yard and found the first photo-worthy insect of year in the blossom of a Bradford pear tree that’s located in one corner of our yard.

The insect, pictured above, appears to be a Paper Wasp.

According to my well-worn copy of the National Audubon Society’s “Field Guide to Insects & Spiders,” paper wasps are usually between a half-inch and an inch long and are slender with a short, one-segmented waist. The upper portion of the head is pointed, never notched as in hornets and yellow jackets. Their heads and bodies are mostly reddish brown to black with yellow rings and reddish areas on their abdomens. Their wings are amber to reddish brown.

The wasp pictured above appears to be a female because, according to the field guide, male paper wasps have a pale face with hooked antennae tips. Females have brown faces.

The field guide goes on to say that paper wasps throughout North America inhabit meadows, field and gardens on flowers and near buildings. For food, adult paper wasps drink nectar and juices from crushed and rotting fruits. Larval paper wasps feed on insects pre-chewed by adults.

The field guide describes the life cycle of the paper wasp as follows: In spring, several females work together to construct uncovered paperlike hanging nest of wood pulp and saliva. One female becomes dominant queen. First few generations in summer are all females, cared for as larvae by unmated female workers. Unfertilized eggs produce fertile males. Only mated young queens overwinter under leaf litter and in stone walls. Old queens, workers and larvae die.

As you can see from the photo, I had to get closer than you would usually like to get to a wasp, but as it turns out, you can get away with that sort of thing more easily when you’re dealing with a paper wasp. According to the field guide, “paper wasps are much more tolerant of people and minor disturbances than are hornets and yellow jackets.”

Saturday afternoon’s trip was the first “bug hunting” trip the kids and I made this year, and we conducted it much like our “bug hunts” of the past. We made one lap around the yard, checking the leaves of the various trees and bushes for any sign of life.

Sometimes we find insects, sometimes we don’t, but I’ve often been surprised by the number and variety of insects that visit our one-acre yard. As the seasons change and temperatures become more insect-friendly, look for more insect photos and descriptions to follow in the coming weeks.