Bug FAQPolistes japonicus
Polistes japonicus · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Eumenidae
Polistes japonicus is a paper wasp native to Japan, first described in 1858. The abdomen is yellow with brown or black bands and the wings have a brownish tint. Males are larger than females, likely because of competition among males for mates.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The abdomen is yellow with brown or black bands.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Males are larger than females. This size difference is thought to result from local mate competition among males.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Nests are found in lowland areas. Future queens overwinter in wood or human structures.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
They mainly feed on caterpillars found on plant leaves.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
A colony is started in May by an overwintering foundress. Males emerge first, followed by new reproductive females in August.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Colonies begin in May after the foundress emerges. The later-emerging females in August are non-foragers and become new reproductives.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Polistes japonicus is a eusocial paper wasp native to Japan.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It is closely related to Polistes formosanus.
Source: Wikipedia
Questions people ask
When do Polistes japonicus colonies start?
Colonies are initiated in May by an overwintering foundress.
Source: Wikipedia
What do these wasps look like?
They have a yellow abdomen with brown or black bands and wings with a brownish tint.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are their nests found?
Nests are typically located in lowland areas, and future queens may overwinter in wood or human constructions.
Source: Wikipedia
What do they eat?
They mainly feed on caterpillars on plant leaves, and in labs they also consume lepidopteran larvae, cicada thoraxes, and honeybee pupae.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Eumenidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polistes_japonicus
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.