Bug FAQHorse Paper Wasp
Polistes major · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Eumenidae
The horse paper wasp is a large paper wasp, measuring about 17 to 22 mm long with a wingspan up to 45 mm. Its coloration varies: the common subspecies has reddish-brown bodies with broad yellow stripes, while other subspecies are solid reddish. It lives in the Neotropics, ranging from South America up into the southern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The most common form is reddish-brown with wide yellow stripes; some subspecies are entirely reddish with no yellow.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults are 17 to 22 mm long and can have a wingspan of up to 45 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range extends from South America up into the southern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It is the second-largest species in its genus, only smaller than Polistes carnifex.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 9 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Arizona, Texas, Georgia, New Mexico, California, Kansas, Tennessee.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Eumenidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polistes_major
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.