Australian paper wasp.
Australian paper wasp.
Australian paper wasps build small nests under overhanging leaves, or the eaves of roofs. The nests may have up to 200 cells.This species is established in New Zealand.
Description
The Australian paper wasp Polistes humilis has a small head, with medium sized eyes and medium length antennae. The body is slender, with a very narrow waist and the length is about 1-1.5cm. There are two pairs of brown-tinted wings, with the first pair larger. The abdomen has some yellow/orange bands, but is mainly black. Paper wasps are longer and more slender than common and German wasps. When paper wasps fly they do not hold their legs close to their body. Seeing a wasp flying with "long dangly legs" identifies it as a paper wasp.
. Original public domain image from Flickr