Polistes dominula
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The European paper wasp (Polistes dominula) is one of the most common and well-known species of social wasps in the genus Polistes. Its diet is more diverse than those of most Polistes species—many genera of insects versus mainly caterpillars in other Polistes—giving it superior survivability compared to other wasp species during a shortage of resources.
The dominant females are the principal egg layers, while the subordinate females ("auxiliaries") or workers primarily forage and do not lay eggs. This hierarchy is not permanent, though; when the queen is removed from the nest, the second-most dominant female takes over the role of the previous queen. Dominance in females is determined by the severity of the scatteredness in the coloration of the clypeus (face), whereas dominance in males is shown by the variation of spots of their abdomens. P. dominula is common and cosmopolitan due to their exceptional survival features such as productive colony cycle, short development time, and higher ability to endure predator attacks.
These wasps have a lek-based mating system. Unlike most social insects, 35% of P. dominula wasps in a colony are unrelated. It is considered an invasive species in Canada and the United States. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nahuel Huapi National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 3 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 10 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 11 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 12 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tijuana | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Algiers | 🇩🇿 Algeria | |
| 4 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 8 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Santiago | 🇨🇱 Chile |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a European Paper Wasp sighting in Nahuel Huapi National Park on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 7th most-seen of the 39 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a European Paper Wasp in Nahuel Huapi National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, July–September and December, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most European 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 15 parks where we can rate European Paper Wasp sightings, Nahuel Huapi National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Abel Tasman National Park (New Zealand, about 10%) and Table Mountain National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
Same order: Hymenoptera
The closest relatives of the European Paper Wasp that you can see in Nahuel Huapi National Park (order Hymenoptera, Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies) are Buff-Tailed Bumble Bee (about 40%), Giant Bumble Bee (about 30%) and German Yellowjacket (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the European Paper Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Nahuel Huapi National Park (16 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.
