🔍 Black Paper Wasp | Polybia ignobilis 🐝
📍 Seen in Alajuela, Costa Rica 🇨🇷
💬 The difference between this wasp and the Ecuadorian Paper Wasp is its color. Ecuadorian is uniformly dark, meanwhile Black Paper Wasp may have faint to visible yellow rings or yellowish bands on the abdominal segments.
Also Known as:
Dark Paper Wasp
Size:
Weight: ~25–40 milligrams (worker) / ~40 –60 milligrams (queen)
Length: ~10–13 mm (worker) / ~14–15 mm (queen)
Wingspan: ~18–25 mm
Coloration:
Uniformly black or dark brownish-black, often with a slight metallic blue or violet sheen when seen in sunlight. Smoky dark brown or translucent grayish-black wings with a bluish or purplish iridescence depending on the angle of the light.
Life Span
~2–4 months (worker) / up to 1 year (queen)
The Cam Traveler 