Straight answerIn New Zealand there are two main kinds. German and common wasps build covered nests of layered grey or brown paper, with one entrance, usually underground or hidden in a roof, wall or hollow tree. Paper wasps build small open combs on a stalk, where you can see the six-sided cells. Mud cells in cracks belong to the native mason wasp.
German and common wasp nests
These are made from chewed wood fibre glued with saliva into a papery material. German wasp nests are grey, because they use sound wood. Common wasp nests are browner, from rotten wood. A layered envelope wraps tiers of comb inside. A typical nest is about football-sized. Usually you only see the entrance hole and the traffic.
Paper wasp combs
A paper wasp nest is a single open layer of cells hanging from a short stalk, like an upside-down umbrella. Most are about 8 centimetres across, sometimes up to 20. They hang under eaves, in hedges, on fences and in sheds. You can see the wasps sitting on the comb.
Mud cells: native mason wasps
Small tubes or lumps of dried mud, about 2 centimetres long, in curtain folds, keyholes, window frames or cracks, belong to the native mason wasp. Each cell holds paralysed spiders for its young. Mason wasps live alone, don't form colonies and don't need removing.
Wasp nest or bee nest?
Bee comb is made of wax, not paper. A honey bee swarm looks like a hanging cluster of bees, not a nest. A colony that has moved into a wall shows wax comb if you can see it at all. Bumblebee nests are underground, with fuzzy bees going in and out. Bees vs wasps.
Big round nests high in trees
A large round paper nest high in a tree is usually a German wasp nest that has grown big. In parts of the North Shore, check it is not a yellow-legged hornet nest, which looks similar and should be reported to MPI on 0800 80 99 66. Hornet guide. For wasp nests near the house, see how wasp nest removal works.
Questions people ask
What does the start of a wasp nest look like?
In spring a German wasp queen starts alone with a small papery nest holding a few cells, in a sheltered spot such as a bank, roof gap or shed. A new paper wasp comb is a few open cells on a stalk. Either is easy to deal with at this stage.
Do wasps reuse old nests?
German and common wasp nests normally die in late autumn and new queens build fresh nests in spring. The exception is the minority of German wasp nests that survive the winter and keep growing. An old, empty nest is just dry paper.
Sources we checked
- Life cycle of a wasp (Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research)
- Wasp identification (Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research)
- Asian paper wasp nest (Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research)
- Mason wasp (Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research)
- Wasps (Department of Conservation)
- Yellow-legged hornet flyer (Oct 2025) (Ministry for Primary Industries)
Last reviewed 2026-10-06.