These paper wasps can be identified by their long thin legs and banded yellow and black coloring.

[8] Nests of this species can be identified by their cone shaped appearance with multiple hexagonal cells.

[8] While this species is native to Australia, the species was accidentally introduced to New Zealand in the 1880s and has established a stable population in that country, largely confined to the North Island north of Tauranga and west of Te Kuiti.

Throughout the year, production of Polistes humilis nests typically follow a distinctive cycle.

[2] In Polistes humilis nests, there is an observable hierarchy between reproducing queens and sterile workers.

However, unlike most species that use behavioral characteristics to determine reproductive success, Polistes humilis does not exhibit high competition between females within the nest.

In this system, queens are singly mated with full sisters sharing the paternal genetic information and either one of the maternal alleles.

[2] This practice limits the eggs that weaker females can produce and reduces the genetic variability of the nest.

[2] These behaviors help the queens maximize their offspring's ability to survive and increases the genetic relatedness within the nest.

Polistes humilis are observed to subsist on food brought back to the nest by worker wasps.

In southern Australia, Polistes humilis appears to specialize in consuming lepidopteran larvae for protein as well as small spiders.

The venom in the sting of the species helps with prey capture and nest defense from predators.

[13] Polistes humilis also has developed two defenses against disease: genetic diversity and the production of cuticular antimicrobial compounds.

This trade-off has likely developed by evolution as the cuticular compounds are metabolically expensive to produce so larger colonies may not be able to support this mechanism.

Genetic analysis shows that increased variation at this locus is positively correlated with antimicrobial strength.

[14] Group size and microbial defense are important characteristics to consider when determining disease susceptibility.

Polistes humilis nests are often found in "modified habitats" where there is a mix of human structures and vegetation.

The success of an introduced invasive species largely depends on the availability of pollinator relationships.

Since Polistes humilis are general pollinators, they have been observed to contribute to the success of invasive species, such as the milkweeds Asclepias curassavica and Gomphocarpus fruticosus.