Paper wasp

The European paper wasp (Polistes dominula, often misspelled as dominulus) is one of the more common and well-known species of social wasps in the genus Polistes. Its diet is more versatile than that of most Polistes species (many genera of insects versus mainly caterpillars in other Polistes), making it superior over many others during the shortage of resources. The dominant females (queens) are the principal egg layers, while the subordinate females ("auxiliaries") primarily forage and do not lay eggs. This hierarchy is not permanent, however; when the queen (alpha-female) is removed from the nest, the second-most dominant female (beta-female) displaces the role of the previous queen.Dominance in females is determined by the severity of the scattered-ness in the coloration of the clypeus (face), whereas dominance in males is shown by the variation of spots of their abdomens. Polistes dominula is far from being extinct or even being in danger due to their exceptional survival features such as productive colony cycle, short development time, higher ability to endure predator attacks and many more. Polistes dominula wasps have a lek-based mating system. Unlike most social insects, 35% of Polistes dominula wasps in a colony are unrelated. It is considered an invasive species in Canada and the United States.

Canon 600D.

 Sigma 50mm 2.8 macro.

 F-stop: F-13.

 Tempo de exposição: 1/100.

 Distancia focal: 50mm Velocidade ISO: 200