Polistes versicolor
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
Polistes versicolor, also known as the variegated paper wasp or yellow paper wasp, is a subtropical social wasp within Polistes, the most common genus of paper wasp. It is the most widely distributed of South American wasp species and is particularly common in the Southeastern Brazilian states. The P. versicolor nest, made of chewed vegetable fiber, is typically a single, uncovered comb attached to the substrate by a single petiole. The yellow wasp is frequently found in urban areas. New nests and colonies are usually founded by an association of females, sometimes in human buildings.
The P. versicolor colony cycle broadly ranges from 3 to 10 months, although there appears to be no relationship between the colony's development and the season of the year. While P. versicolor do have clear annual colony cycles, many young queens have the opportunity to hibernate during the winter, forming optional winter aggregations. Dominance hierarchies within these aggregations are characterized by physical aggression of the dominant female(s) towards the associated females, who tend to be sisters. Wagging movements are also often used as a form of communication within the colony. P. versicolor is generally predatory, capturing a wide range of insects, although it often feeds on pollen and nectar as well. Therefore, P. versicolor can be useful as a pollinator or as effective pest control. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brownsberg Nature Park | 🇸🇷 Suriname | |
| 2 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Itatiaia National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Tijuca National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recife | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Curitiba | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Niterói | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Vitória | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Porto Alegre | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Medellín | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 8 | Maceió | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Belo Horizonte | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Campinas | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Variegated Paper Wasp sighting in Itatiaia National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 30th most-seen of the 60 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and September–January
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Variegated Paper Wasp in Itatiaia National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February and April–August, the lowest months. Those are among Itatiaia National Park's wettest months, with about 250 mm of rain a month against 25 mm in July.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Variegated 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.
5th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Variegated Paper Wasp sightings, Itatiaia National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Brownsberg Nature Park (Suriname, about 40%), Galápagos Islands (Ecuador, about 30%) and Iguazú National Park (Argentina, about 20%).
Same order: Hymenoptera
The closest relatives of the Variegated Paper Wasp that you can see in Itatiaia National Park (order Hymenoptera, Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies) are Shimmering Golden Sugar Ant (about 30%), Camponotus rufipes (about 20%) and Brazilian Bumble Bee (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Variegated Paper Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Itatiaia National Park (6 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.
