Posted by Sarah on July 25, 2003

Q: There are ~22 species of paperwasps in North America, and ~700 worldwide. Is there key available for the identification of North American paper wasps? It is very frustrating to have so many resources for quickly identifying yellow jackets, but nothing immediately available to help distinguish between, for example, P. aurifer, P. dominulus, and P.fuscatus. I am currently working from pictures, but would greatly appreciate the availability of a key. Do you have any tips on how I might come across a good identification guide?

A: Sounds to me that your needs are well beyond the "field guide" category. I don't have any resources that would help with this myself but if I were looking to identify some wasp species, I would be looking for professional reference material. If you have a local college/university you may be able to use their library or speak with a professor (an entomologist if possible) who can direct you to appropriate resources. You may want to try the internet but even there, resources are going to focus on wasp families most likely, rather than species.

Since there are so many different species of insects, and identification often requires detailed anatomical examination, identification down to species is generally found only in professional publications and is not readily accessible to laymen. Good luck.

John Wiessinger ( July 26, 2003)