French Paper Wasp

French Paper Wasp

Polistes gallicus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Barcelona

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

24 Verified sightings at Barcelona
September Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

About the French Paper Wasp

Polistes gallicus is a species of paper wasp found in various parts of Europe, excluding England, Denmark, and Scandinavia, from warmer climates to cooler regions north of the Alps. Nests of these social insects are created in these various conditions. The Polistes species use an oral secretion to construct their nests, which consist of a combination of saliva and chewed plant fibers. This structural mixture physically protects the nest from various harsh elements and from weathering over time.

P. gallicus, like other members of the subgenus Polistes (Polistes), has recognizable, bright yellow and black markings. They have smaller bodies than many of its allies that overlap in range, and their bodies are largely hairless. The species may be separated from allies through the following traits.

Females are identified by having 12 antennal segments and 6 abdominal segments. The antennae are orange and paler on the ventral surface than in many allies and have yellow-marked scapes. The malar space is short, under 0.75 times the distance between the lateral ocelli, and is black. They have slender mandibles that are mostly colored black with an excentric... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Algiers 🇩🇿 Algeria
~30%
2 Jerusalem 🇮🇱 Israel
~10%
3 Naples 🇮🇹 Italy
~10%
4 Barcelona 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
5 Athens 🇬🇷 Greece
~10%
6 Valencia 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
7 Madrid 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
8 Bucharest 🇷🇴 Romania
<5%
9 Lisbon 🇵🇹 Portugal
<5%
10 Paris 🇫🇷 France
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a French Paper Wasp in Barcelona?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a French Paper Wasp sighting in Barcelona on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 136th most-seen of the 381 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a French Paper Wasp in Barcelona?

March and May–October

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a French Paper Wasp in Barcelona on a given day, against under 5% in April and November–February, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a French Paper Wasp?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most French Paper Wasp sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.

Is Barcelona the best place to see a French Paper Wasp?

4th of 11

Of the 11 cities where we can rate French Paper Wasp sightings, Barcelona ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Algiers (Algeria, about 30%), Jerusalem (Israel, about 10%) and Naples (Italy, about 10%).

Where does the French Paper Wasp sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the French Paper Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Barcelona (24 verified sightings), 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.

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