Polistes bellicosus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Polistes bellicosus is a social paper wasp from the order Hymenoptera typically found within Texas, namely the Houston area. Like other paper wasps, Polistes bellicosus build nests by manipulating exposed fibers into paper to create cells. P. bellicosus often rebuild their nests at least once per colony season due to predation.
Polistes bellicosus belongs to the subfamily Polistinae, which consists of only social wasps. Polistinae is divided into four tribes: Polistini, Epiponini, Mischocyttarini and Ropalidiini. The tribe Polistini includes the genus Polistes and is the only tribe of Polistinae with a cosmopolitan distribution, i.e. it is the only tribe found in many different global habitats. Polistes bellicosus is most closely related to P. apaches based on a phylogenetic tree.
Along with the genetic similarity, the phylogeny of the larva is also explained using morphological characteristics. Starting at the head, larvae are often dark brown. The body is widest at the anterior part of the abdomen and tapers towards the posterior end. The circular, slender mandible is weakly chitinized. From the mandible... 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 Southern Paper Wasp sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 90th most-seen of the 189 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.
June, September and November–April
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Paper Wasp in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in May, July–August and October, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern 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.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Southern Paper Wasp sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 10%) and Everglades National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same genus: Polistes
The closest relatives of the Southern Paper Wasp that you can see in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (genus Polistes, Umbrella Paper Wasps) are Horse Paper Wasp (about 10%), Hunter's Little Paper Wasp (about 10%) and Metric Paper Wasp (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Paper Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (13 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.
