Bug FAQBahamian Paper Wasp
Polistes bahamensis · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Eumenidae
The Bahamian paper wasp is a large, colorful wasp found in the Bahamas, Florida, Louisiana, and Georgia. It builds its papery nest under roof eaves or palm fronds, hanging from a stalk called a petiole.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It can be told apart by a yellow spot on the mesopleuron and usually a yellow band on the back edge of the abdominal segments.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Polistes bahamensis is a large species of paper wasp.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Nests are commonly found under the eaves of buildings or beneath palm fronds.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species occurs in the Bahamas, Florida, Louisiana, and also in Georgia. The first specimens were collected on New Providence Island in 1909.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It looks very similar to Polistes annularis, sharing a slender first metasomal segment.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 7 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where is the Bahamian paper wasp found?
It lives in the Bahamas, Florida, Louisiana, and Georgia.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I recognize this wasp?
Look for a yellow spot on the mesopleuron and a yellow band on the rear edge of the abdominal segments.
Source: Wikipedia
Where does it build its nest?
It builds nests under roof eaves or under palm fronds, hanging from a petiole.
Source: Wikipedia
What other wasp does it resemble?
It is very similar to Polistes annularis, especially in having a slender first metasomal segment.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Eumenidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polistes_bahamensis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-25 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-25.