DOWN ON THE FARM...

... these paper wasps (info on Australian Museum site) are quite a unique part of our surroundings.

As also explained on the good ole WIKI site they are a prolific pollinator. Only down side is this helps with also prolific growth of some of the introduced noxious weed on properties.

Around home, as shown here they build their nest under eaves and watch out if you accidentally knock the nest.

Found this quite elaborate breeding house under an eave today. 

Have cropped it (pretty much to extinction) to show the number of young ones growing inside each cubicle. 

According to WIKI..... Polistes humilis are observed to subsist on food brought back to the nest by worker wasps. Once food is brought back to the nest, workers distribute the food to the queen and larvae. The species consumes primary water, pulp, carbohydrate and protein prey. In southern Australia, Polistes humilis appears to specialize in consuming lepidopteran larvae for protein as well as small spiders. Polistes humilis has to compete with other species for food, particularly the newly introduced, invasive species Vespula germanica.[11] While Polistes humilis is very common now, competition for food could reduce its population in the future.


Found the info as interesting to read as looking at the activity today ... from a distance of my big gun!!


Enjoy, and have a look in LARGE