Synoeca septentrionalis
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
Synoeca septentrionalis is one of five species of wasps in the genus Synoeca. It is a swarm-founding wasp that is also eusocial, exhibiting complicated nest structure and defense mechanisms and a colony cycle including a pre-emergence phase and a post-emergence phase. It is typically found in areas from Central to South America. This wasp is one of the larger species of paper wasps and exhibits multiple morphological adaptations as a result of this. Synoeca septentrionalis is known for possessing an extremely painful sting.
Synoeca septentrionalis is one of five species of wasp in the genus Synoeca, with the other four being S. chalybea, S. cyanea, S. surinama, and S. virginea. Wasps in the genus Synoeca are often referred to as warrior wasps and are found in various areas in the Americas. Each wasp in the genus exhibits similar characteristics, but from a phylogenetic standpoint, S. septentrionalis is most closely related to S. surinama and S. cyanea. The wasps in this genus are also a part of the paper wasp tribe known as Epiponini, which are Neotropical. In general, the genus is quite aggressive and will often display cohesive defense mechanisms when... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ostional Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Machalilla National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Santa Rosa National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Masaya Volcano National Park | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | |
| 6 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 7 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 11 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 12 | Manuel Antonio National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 13 | Cahuita National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 14 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 15 | Corcovado National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 16 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 17 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 18 | Parque Natural Metropolitano | 🇵🇦 Panama |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Warrior Wasp sighting in Ostional Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 47 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Warrior Wasp in Ostional Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in March, May–June and August–December, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Warrior 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 18 parks where we can rate Northern Warrior Wasp sightings, Ostional Wildlife Refuge has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Machalilla National Park (Ecuador, about 20%) and Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve (Costa Rica, about 20%).
Same order: Hymenoptera
The closest relatives of the Northern Warrior Wasp that you can see in Ostional Wildlife Refuge (order Hymenoptera, Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies) are Red-Headed Paper Wasp (about 30%), Camponotus rectangularis (about 20%) and Unstable Paper Wasp (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Warrior Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Ostional Wildlife Refuge (22 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.
