Bug FAQProtonectarina sylveirae
Protonectarina sylveirae · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Vespidae
Source: Wikipedia
These neotropical wasps build papery nests in trees and hunt animal prey, especially coffee-crop pests. Colonies are large, founded by swarms that include several queens, and their stings may trigger painful inflammation or anaphylaxis.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Queens have a lighter body and a broader, brown-spotted clypeus, while workers show a black horseshoe-shaped mark on the clypeus.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Queens are usually larger than workers, though in some colonies they can be the same size.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
By preying on coffee-crop pests, the wasp helps keep those pest populations low, which benefits farmers.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
Stings typically cause painful inflammation at the site, and 0.8-5 % of people may experience a systemic allergic reaction such as anaphylaxis.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
Organophosphate insecticides are highly toxic to these wasps and can disrupt their orientation, movement, feeding, egg-laying, and learning.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Nests are suspended from tree twigs and constructed from mashed cellulose mixed with water, forming a papery wall.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It feeds mainly on animal protein and hunts pests that damage coffee crops.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Colonies are large and require behavioral specialization, and new colonies are started by swarms that include multiple queens.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
This species is native to South America, ranging from Brazil down to Argentina.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I control Protonectarina sylveirae?
Organophosphate insecticides are very toxic to them and can impair many of their behaviors, but they also affect non-target insects.
Source: Wikipedia
Do they sting?
Yes, their stings cause painful swelling and can trigger an allergic reaction in a small number of people.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Vespidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protonectarina
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.