Wasp
Wasps first appeared in the fossil record in the Jurassic, and diversified into many surviving superfamilies by the Cretaceous. They are a successful and diverse group of insects with tens of thousands of described species; wasps have spread to all parts of the world except for the polar regions. The largest social wasp is the Asian giant hornet, at up to in length; among the largest solitary wasps is a group of species known as tarantula hawks, along with the giant scoliid of Indonesia ("Megascolia procer"). The smallest wasps are solitary chalcid wasps in the family Mymaridae, including the world's smallest known insect, with a body length of only , and the smallest known flying insect, only long.
Polistes exclamans
As a vespid wasp, "P. exclamans" nests are typically made up of paper with a single layer of cells with open combs. Although nest size varies, the upper limit is around 500 cells. Although many vespid wasp nests have an outer envelope of paper, "P. exclamans" nests do not. As indicated by Strassmann and Orgren, “Nests are approximately circular, and have a single off-center pedicel usually located towards the top of the nest. Cells near the pedicle are the oldest.” "P. exclamans" are particularly able to colonize new sites as foundresses often disperse into new territories. "P. exclamans" have often been found to have nests located near man-made structures and tend to more readily build nests in and near these man-made structures. Out of six wasp species, "P. exclamans" was the only one that occupied artificial nesting sites. It prefers well-lit, open sites.