Apoica pallens
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Apoica pallens is a nocturnal eusocial wasp (family Vespidae). It is famous for its swarm based emigration behavior, and is native to the lowlands of Central and northern South America. This species has developed special night vision adaptations to facilitate their night-time swarming and foraging behavior and has important medicinal properties for the Pankararú people of Brazil.
Apoica pallens is part of the tribe Epiponini, a group including paper wasps found in neotropical regions. Apoica is one of the basal genera in the tribe. The species is most closely related to Apoica flavissima. Apoica pallens was described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1804.
Apoica pallens is pale yellow in color. Like other species found within the Epiponini, there is morphological caste differentiation between workers and queens. In Apoica pallens, queens and workers are usually about the same total size, but queens tend to be smaller than workers anteriorly and significantly larger posteriorly. This differentiation is thought to be the result of differences in ovary development.
Nests of Apoica have no enclosing... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tayrona National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Piedras Blancas National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Serra dos Órgãos National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 6 | Corcovado National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 9 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 10 | Manuel Antonio National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 11 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 12 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 13 | Parque Natural Metropolitano | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 14 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 15 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 16 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 17 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Central American Paper Wasp sighting in Manuel Antonio National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 34th most-seen of the 69 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September to November
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Central American Paper Wasp in Manuel Antonio National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April, June, August and December–January, the lowest months. Those are among Manuel Antonio National Park's wettest months, with about 770 mm of rain a month against 35 mm in February.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Central American Paper Wasp sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
10th of 17
Of the 17 parks where we can rate Central American Paper Wasp sightings, Manuel Antonio National Park ranks 10th at about 10%. The best odds are in Tayrona National Natural Park (Colombia, about 30%), Piedras Blancas National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%) and Tenorio Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%).
Same family: Vespidae
The closest relatives of the Central American Paper Wasp that you can see in Manuel Antonio National Park (family Vespidae, Hornets, Paper Wasps, Potter Wasps, and Allies) are Northern Warrior Wasp (about 10%) and Agelaia centralis (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Central American Paper Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Manuel Antonio National Park (9 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.
