Apache Paper Wasp vs Wax Scale

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Apache Paper Wasp Wax Scale
Scientific Name Polistes apachus Ceroplastes destructor
Order Hymenoptera Hemiptera
Family Vespidae Coccidae
Size 18-25 mm 3-5 mm
Habitat Heathland Heathland
Diet Nectar Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions Southwestern United States and northern Mexico Oceania, Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Apache Paper Wasp

A large paper wasp of the American Southwest with yellow and reddish-brown coloring. It constructs open paper comb nests in sheltered locations like building overhangs.

💡

Did You Know?

It is one of the largest paper wasps in North America and is particularly common around desert homes and ranch buildings.

Wax Scale

A scale insect that covers itself with a thick waxy dome for protection.

💡

Did You Know?

Its waxy covering can be nearly a centimeter thick and perfectly dome-shaped.