Phimenes flavopictus

Phimenes flavopictus · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Eumenidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Phimenes flavopictus
Photo: Rushenb, CC BY-SA 3.0

The second gastral tergite shows two yellow spots at its base on a black background, forming a broken band that narrows toward the apex. Females construct rounded mud pots for their eggs and stock them with caterpillars.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Toward the tip the band becomes more narrowly interrupted.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

The mud pots are stocked with caterpillars for the developing larvae.

Source: Wikipedia

Lookalikes

A related species, P. andamanicum, has an almost entirely black thorax, while P. nicobaricum has a completely yellow second tergite.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Phimenes flavopictus photo 3
Photo: Dinesh Valke from Thane, India, CC BY-SA 2.0
Phimenes flavopictus photo 4
Photo: Mmsmr, CC0

Same family (Eumenidae)

European Paper WaspEuropean Paper WaspPolistes dominulaCan stingNorthern Paper WaspNorthern Paper WaspPolistes fuscatusCan stingMetric Paper WaspMetric Paper WaspPolistes metricusCan stingFour-toothed Mason WaspFour-toothed Mason WaspMonobia quadridensCan stingHunter's Little Paper WaspHunter's Little Paper WaspPolistes dorsalisCan stingFine-backed Red Paper WaspFine-backed Red Paper WaspPolistes carolinaCan sting

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phimenes_flavopictus

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.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

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