Polistes bischoffi

Polistes bischoffi has a wingspan of and a body length of in females. These wasps are characterized by a blackish upper side of the antennae, by black cheeks and yellow jaws. The clypeus is yellow with a large black central stripe. Males show a yellow face. The body markings are variable. ==Biology==

Adults fly from spring to autumn feeding on sugar and nectar and catching caterpillars and flies to feed the larvae. Males die before winter after mating, while mated females overwinter and in next spring build the cells of their nests made of a kind of thin paper. These nests are usually located outside of buildings or hooked to a plant stem or a trunk. ==Distribution and habitat==

This species is present in the Mediterranean region, in Southern and Central Europe (Austria, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Switzerland), in the Balkan Mountains and in the Near East. These paper wasps can be found in woodland edges and meadows. ==Gallery==

Polistes bischoffi male01.jpg|P. bischoffi, male. a: frontal view of head, b: lateral view of lower face, c: dorsal view of body, d: lateral view of head, mesosoma, and base of metasoma, e: lateral view of body Polistes bischoffi female 01.jpg|P. bischoffi, female. a: frontal view of head, b: lateral view of lower face, c: lateral view of head and mesosoma, d: lateral view of body, e: body from above ==Bibliography==