Polistes bahamensis
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Polistes bahamensis is a large species of colourful paper wasp in the genus Polistes of the family Vespidae which occurs in the Bahamas, Florida and Louisiana. It is also said to occur in Georgia. It was first described as an endemic new species from the Bahamas by Joseph Charles Bequaert and George Salt in 1931, consisting of three varieties based on geography and patterns of coloured markings, P. bahamensis var. bahamensis, P. bahamensis var. bilineolatus and P. bahamensis var. picturatus. The nominate variety of bahamensis was reported to be an endemic of Andros Island, var. bilineolatus was only found in the central islands of New Providence and Eleuthera, and var. picturatus was known from Acklins, Mariguana, Rum Cay, Crooked Island, Long Island, Watlings Island and Cat Island. In 1940 Bequaert subsumed the species and its three varieties under P. exclamans, as well as described another new variety in that species, P. exclamans var. louisianus, from three female specimens caught in New Orleans.
In 1955 the variety louisianus was synonymised with P. exclamans sensu stricto by Roy Snelling, who stated that after examining large amounts of the wasps from two nests recovered... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Bahamian Paper Wasp sighting in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, based on 21 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 54th most-seen of the 262 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Bahamian Paper Wasp in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, against under 5% in April, June and October, the lowest months. Those are among Big Cypress National Preserve's wettest months, with about 210 mm of rain a month against 40 mm in March.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bahamian Paper Wasp sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Bahamian Paper Wasp sightings, Big Cypress National Preserve has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Everglades National Park (United States, about 10%) and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (United States, about 10%).
Same genus: Polistes
The closest relatives of the Bahamian Paper Wasp that you can see in Big Cypress National Preserve (genus Polistes, Umbrella Paper Wasps) are Hunter's Little Paper Wasp (about 10%), Southern Paper Wasp (about 10%) and Northern Paper Wasp (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bahamian Paper Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Big Cypress National Preserve (21 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
