I think any of the Polistes species can be called paper wasps. The common paper wasp around here is a plain reddish-brown wasp. I've never been stung by one and the only thing I don't like about them is that they sometimes take off with little butterfly caterpillars. Speaking of their need for water, they frequently will use the small containers of water I leave out in the garden. Sometime last summer, I started finding dead paper wasps in the water. That's very unusual, because the paper wasps can normally land right on the water surface and then fly off again with no problem. I assume the severe drought or heat weakened them. Eventually, all those wasps disappeared...none were left. In fact, all wasps disappeared...until fall brought slightly better conditions...then a very limited number of wasps came around now and then, until really cold weather came.
