Polistes erythrocephalus
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
Polistes erythrocephalus is a species of paper wasp in the subfamily Polistinae of family Vespidae found in Central and South America. P. erythrocephalus is a eusocial wasp, meaning that it possesses both reproductive and non-reproductive castes. The cooperation between the two castes to raise young demonstrates the altruistic nature of these wasps. P. erythrocephalus exhibits a four-stage colony cycle, as do many other Polistes wasps. This species generally feeds on larvae, occasionally their own, and is preyed upon by species such as army ants.
Polistes scholars such as K. Yoshikawa, Joseph Charles Bequaert, and Mary Jane West-Eberhard, originally considered Polistes erythrocephalus to be a subspecies of Polistes canadensis. For this reason, much of the research done on P. erythrocephalus has been classified under P. canadensis. Additionally, it was left out of Yoshikawa's list of Polistes species around the world in 1963. More recently however P. erythrocephalus has been recognized as a separate species by Owain Richards though it is sometimes still referred to as Polistes canadensis erythrocephalus. Its closest relatives are Polistes canadensis, Polistes... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ostional Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Piedras Blancas National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 5 | Marino Ballena National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Corcovado National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Cahuita National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 11 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medellín | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Headed Paper Wasp sighting in Ostional Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 20 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.
June–July and September
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Headed Paper Wasp in Ostional Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in February–May and October–December, the lowest months. Those are among Ostional Wildlife Refuge's wettest months, with about 420 mm of rain a month against 15 mm in February.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-Headed 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 11 parks where we can rate Red-Headed Paper Wasp sightings, Ostional Wildlife Refuge has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Piedras Blancas National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%) and Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (Costa Rica, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red-Headed Paper Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Ostional Wildlife Refuge (20 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.
