Bug FAQAgelaia pallipes
Agelaia pallipes · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Vespidae
Source: Wikipedia
Agelaia pallipes is a social paper wasp about 9 mm long, with black, yellow and brown markings on the head, body and legs. It builds ground nests in forests, fields, armadillo tunnels, hollow logs and human structures, and it hunts insects and baby birds. The species ranges from Costa Rica through Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The head shows black, yellow and brown colors, while the body terga range from yellow to brown to black, and the legs and wings are yellow. Females have two castes with distinct ovary development.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure between 9.05 and 9.21 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
When threatened, it uses venom to defend the nest, and the venom can cause serious damage to major organs. Its venom contains two newly identified peptides, Protonectin and Agelaia-MP.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Nests are built in forests, open fields, ground sites, armadillo tunnels, hollow logs and man-made structures.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It preys on flies, moths, ground crickets and also takes baby birds.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Queens reproduce while workers forage, care for larvae and defend the nest. The species is neotropical, polygynous and occurs in relatively high numbers.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to Central and South America, from Costa Rica down to Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It is often found alongside the similar species Agelaia vicina in temperate climates.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
Do they sting people?
Yes. They sting to defend the nest, and social wasp venom has in many cases caused severe effects on major organs in people.
Source: Wikipedia
Where might I find their nests?
They nest in ground sites such as armadillo tunnels, hollow logs, forest floors and human structures.
Source: Wikipedia
What do they eat?
They hunt insects like flies, moths, crickets and also feed on baby birds.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Vespidae)
.jpg){kind=link}
2.jpg){kind=link}
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agelaia_pallipes
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.