Polistes instabilis
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Polistes instabilis, or Unstable paper wasp is a type of paper wasp, is a neotropical, eusocial wasp (family Vespidae) that can be found in tropical and subtropical areas such as Central America and South America. It can be easily identified with its characteristic yellow, brown, and reddish markings, and it builds nests made from chewing plant fibers and making them into paper.
Colonies are usually initiated in the spring after the foundresses have emerged from the winter. Either one or a few queens found each colony by laying eggs, which develop into workers. Although there are no morphological differences between queens and workers, queens can be identified easily by their dominant interactions with workers. While queens are responsible for laying eggs, workers are responsible for gathering materials for the nest, tending to the young, and foraging for food. This species tends to feed on nectar as well as arthropods such as caterpillars.
Polistes wasps, including Polistes instabilis, are large social wasps with yellow, brown and reddish markings. Body size ranges between 0.51–0.98 in (13–25 mm) with wings that are about 0.55 in (14 mm), which... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Biotopo Cerro Cahuí | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 3 | Palo Verde National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Ostional Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Las Baulas Marine National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 8 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 2 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 3 | Tegucigalpa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 4 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Unstable Paper Wasp sighting in Palo Verde National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 18th most-seen of the 30 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.
December
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report an Unstable Paper Wasp in Palo Verde National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, April–July and October, the lowest months. That is one of Palo Verde National Park's driest months, with about 35 mm of rain against 480 mm in October.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Unstable Paper Wasp sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Unstable Paper Wasp sightings, Palo Verde National Park ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca (Mexico, about 40%) and Biotopo Cerro Cahuí (Guatemala, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Unstable Paper Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Palo Verde National Park (11 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.
