Bug FAQAgelaia pallipes
Agelaia pallipes · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Vespidae
Source: Wikipedia
Agelaia pallipes is a social paper wasp that builds ground nests in forests, fields and man-made structures. Workers hunt insects and small birds, while queens focus on reproduction; the colony can be abundant in temperate areas.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The head may be black, yellow or brown, and the body segments range from yellow to brown to black; legs and wings are yellow. Females show clear differences in ovary development between queens and workers.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure about 9.05 to 9.21 mm (0.356 to 0.363 in) long, depending on location and altitude.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
In temperate climates it is one of the most abundant social wasps.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
When threatened, they inject venom that can cause severe damage to major organs. Their venom contains two newly identified peptides, Protonectin and Agelaia-MP.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Nests are built in forests, open fields, armadillo tunnels, hollow logs and various human structures.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It preys on flies, moths, ground crickets and even baby birds.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Queens reproduce while workers forage, care for larvae and defend the nest. The species is neotropical, polygynous and commonly abundant within its tribe.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It occurs from Costa Rica down through Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
Do they sting?
Yes, they defend their nest with venom that can cause serious organ effects.
Source: Wikipedia
Where do they build nests?
They nest in ground sites such as armadillo tunnels, hollow logs and human structures in forests and open fields.
Source: Wikipedia
What do they eat?
They hunt insects like flies, moths, crickets and also prey on baby birds.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Vespidae)
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Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agelaia_pallipes
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.