Bug FAQNeotropical Red Paper Wasp
Polistes canadensis · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Eumenidae
Also called: Red paper wasp
Source: Wikipedia
The Neotropical Red Paper Wasp is a large wasp with dark mahogany bodies and purplish-black wings. It builds open paper nests from dry grass and wood, and colonies can be started or abandoned any time of year. It hunts caterpillars for its larvae and also feeds on nectar.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Both sexes have a uniformly mahogany-brown body, sometimes lighter on the head and thorax, with purplish-black wings.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wing length ranges from about 17 to 24.5 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
Large or dark moving objects can trigger an alarm response, causing the wasp to fly at the object and try to sting it. An alarmed wasp may spray venom on its nest, which alerts nestmates and lowers their attack threshold.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Females emerge in spring and build nests from dry grass and dead wood. Nests lack an outer envelope and contain hexagonal cells for eggs and larvae.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It is mainly predatory, hunting caterpillars for the colony and also sipping nectar.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Eggs develop to adults in about 40 days, after which the first helpers appear. Colonies raise broods year-round, producing two or three generations over several months.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults emerge from hibernation in spring, but colonies can be founded or abandoned any time of year.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is found throughout the Neotropical realm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 2 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Arizona, Mississippi.
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
Can a Neotropical Red Paper Wasp sting me?
Yes, if it perceives a large dark object as a threat it will try to sting, and the sting is generally mild.
Source: Wikipedia
When are these wasps active?
They emerge in spring but can start or abandon nests at any time of the year.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Eumenidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polistes_canadensis
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 2026-10-22.