Neotropical Red Paper Wasp

Polistes canadensis, commonly known as the red paper wasp, is a Neotropical, primitively eusocial wasp. A largely predatory species, it hunts for caterpillar meat to supply its colony, often supplementing its developing larvae with nectar. The most widely distributed American species of the genus Polistes, it colonises multiple combs, which it rears year-round. Emerging from hibernation in the spring, the females found nests built out of plant material such as dry grass and dead wood. These