 Polistes exclamans is a social wasp and is part of the family Vespidae of the order Hymenoptera . It is found throughout the United States , Mexico , the Bahamas and parts of Canada . Due to solitary nest founding by queens , P. exclamans has extended its range in the past few decades and now covers the eastern half of the United States , as well as part of the north . This expansion is typically attributed to changing global climate and temperatures . P. exclamans has three specific castes , including males , workers , and queens , but the dominance hierarchy is further distinguished by age . The older the wasp is , the higher it is in ranking within the colony . In most P. exclamans nests , there is one queen who lays all the eggs in the colony . The physiological similarities between the worker and queen castes have led to experiments attempting to distinguish the characteristics of these two castes and how they are determined , though males have easily identifiable physiological characteristics . Since P. exclamans live in relatively small , open combed nests , they are often subject to predators and parasites , such as Chalcoela iphitalis , Elasmus polistes , and birds . P. exclamans have defense and recognition strategies that help protect against these predators and parasites . 
