paper wasp

paper wasp
any of several social wasps, as the yellow jacket or hornet, that construct a nest of a paperlike substance consisting of chewed plant material.
[1850-55, Amer.]

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▪ insect
      any of a group of wasps in the family Vespidae (order Hymenoptera) that are striking in appearance, about 16 mm (0.63 inch) long, with orange antennae, wings, and tarsi. The body may be jet black or brown with narrow yellow bands and paired segmental spots. The sting is painful but less toxic to humans than that of the more familiar species of wasps and hornets (Vespa, Vespula). The nest is made of a paperlike material, fashioned from wood that the females have chewed from dead trees, fence posts, or unpainted building lumber and mixed with saliva to form a paste. There are about 100 cells for larvae in a single nest, which is attached by a short stalk to some sort of protective overhang.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Paper wasp — Paper wasps are 3/4 inch to 1 inch (2 2.5 cm) long wasps that gather fibers from dead wood and plant stems, which they mix with saliva, and use to construct water resistant nests that appear to be made of gray or brown papery material. Paper… …   Wikipedia

  • Paper wasp — Paper Pa per (p[=a] p[ e]r), n. [F. papier, fr. L. papyrus papyrus, from which the Egyptians made a kind of paper, Gr. pa pyros. Cf. {Papyrus}.] 1. A substance in the form of thin sheets or leaves intended to be written or printed on, or to be… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • paper wasp — noun any of several social wasps that construct nests of a substance like paper • Hypernyms: ↑vespid, ↑vespid wasp • Hyponyms: ↑Polistes annularis …   Useful english dictionary

  • paper wasp — noun Date: 1893 a vespid wasp (especially genus Polistes) that builds a nest of papery material …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • paper wasp — pa′per wasp n. ent any of several social wasps, as the yellow jacket or hornet, that construct a nest of a paperlike substance • Etymology: 1850–55 …   From formal English to slang

  • paper wasp — /ˈpeɪpə wɒsp/ (say paypuh wosp) noun 1. any of various wasps, large and small, which construct nests made up of individual cells with papery walls. 2. a small twisted piece of paper flicked with an elastic band as a missile against another person …  

  • Paper — Pa per (p[=a] p[ e]r), n. [F. papier, fr. L. papyrus papyrus, from which the Egyptians made a kind of paper, Gr. pa pyros. Cf. {Papyrus}.] 1. A substance in the form of thin sheets or leaves intended to be written or printed on, or to be used in… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Paper birch — Paper Pa per (p[=a] p[ e]r), n. [F. papier, fr. L. papyrus papyrus, from which the Egyptians made a kind of paper, Gr. pa pyros. Cf. {Papyrus}.] 1. A substance in the form of thin sheets or leaves intended to be written or printed on, or to be… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Paper blockade — Paper Pa per (p[=a] p[ e]r), n. [F. papier, fr. L. papyrus papyrus, from which the Egyptians made a kind of paper, Gr. pa pyros. Cf. {Papyrus}.] 1. A substance in the form of thin sheets or leaves intended to be written or printed on, or to be… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Paper boat — Paper Pa per (p[=a] p[ e]r), n. [F. papier, fr. L. papyrus papyrus, from which the Egyptians made a kind of paper, Gr. pa pyros. Cf. {Papyrus}.] 1. A substance in the form of thin sheets or leaves intended to be written or printed on, or to be… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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