Executioner Wasp Control Services

Where Are Executioner Wasps Found?

Executioner wasps (Polistes carnifex) have specific habitat preferences, and knowing these can help you understand where you’re most likely to encounter them:

Geographic Range

Native to Central and South America, particularly from Mexico through Central America to northern South America. They are not native to the U.S., though southernmost Mexico sees higher populations.

Preferred Habitats

• Tropical and subtropical forests: They thrive in humid, warm environments with abundant flowering plants. Forest edges, clearings, and secondary growth areas are ideal because these provide both nesting sites and foraging opportunities.
• Human-modified areas: Executioner wasps will often build nests under eaves, in attics, under roofs, or in other sheltered parts of buildings. They may also nest in barns, sheds, or other structures that provide protection from rain and direct sunlight.
• Vegetation-based locations: Nests are sometimes built on tree branches, shrubs, or tall plants, usually several feet above the ground. They prefer open, exposed branches rather than dense foliage so they can easily defend the nest.

Nesting Characteristics

Executioner wasps construct paper-like nests, usually small, single-layered, umbrella-shaped with exposed hexagonal cells. Nests are typically located in sheltered areas with overhead protection, like roof eaves or tree branches under a canopy.

Activity Patterns

Most active during the day, especially in the morning and late afternoon when foraging for nectar or prey. They can become aggressive if their nest is disturbed, which is why they’re considered one of the more dangerous paper wasps.

You’re most likely to find executioner wasps in tropical/subtropical areas of Central and South America, nesting in sheltered, elevated spots like under eaves, on branches, or near human structures, particularly where there’s proximity to flowering plants or other insect prey.

What Do Executioner Wasps Eat?

Executioner wasps (Polistes carnifex) are predatory social wasps with a diet that is fairly typical of paper wasps, combining protein for their larvae and sugars for the adults:

Protein Sources (for larvae)

Adult executioner wasps hunt insects and other small arthropods to feed their developing larvae.

Common prey includes:

• Caterpillars
• Crickets and grasshoppers
• Other soft-bodied insects (like flies, moths, and aphids)

The adults chew the prey into a pulp and feed it directly to the larvae in the nest. Protein-rich prey is essential for larval growth and for the production of new adult wasps.

Sugars and Carbohydrates (for adults)

Adult executioner wasps do not consume solid prey; instead, they rely on sugar sources for energy. Common sources include:

• Nectar from flowers
• Plant sap or honeydew (a sugary secretion from aphids)
• Overripe or damaged fruit

These sugars fuel flight, nest building, and hunting activity.

Opportunistic Feeding

While adults primarily forage for nectar, they may also scavenge sugary liquids or juices near human activity. They are not generally aggressive toward humans for food, but disturbances near their nests can provoke stings.

Executioner wasps are protein hunters for their larvae and nectar/juice feeders for themselves, balancing predation and pollination behavior. Their diet helps maintain both the colony’s growth and the adult wasps’ energy needs.

Executioner Wasp Life Cycle

The life cycle of executioner wasps (Polistes carnifex) follows the typical pattern of social paper wasps, with clear stages from egg to adult and a strong colony structure:

• Colony Initiation: The queen is the founder of the colony and emerges after overwintering (or after a dormant season in tropical regions, it may be year-round). She begins the nest alone, typically in a sheltered location, like under eaves, branches, or other protected surfaces. Early on, she lays the first eggs and tends to the initial brood herself.
• Egg Stage: Eggs are laid individually in hexagonal cells of the paper nest. They are small, oval, and creamy-white. Duration: ~5–7 days depending on temperature and humidity.
• Larval Stage: After hatching, the larvae are fed chewed-up protein (usually insects and other arthropods) by the queen. Larvae are legless, grub-like, and grow quickly. Duration: 10–14 days, but can vary with environmental conditions.
• Pupal Stage: Once larvae reach full size, they spin a silken cap over their cell and pupate. During this stage, the larva transforms into an adult wasp, developing wings, legs, and other adult features. Duration: 7–10 days.
• Adult Stage: Workers emerge first (from the first batch of eggs) and begin foraging for food and expanding the nest, taking over care of subsequent larvae. Later eggs develop into reproductive males and new queens, usually toward the end of the colony cycle. Adults feed on nectar, honeydew, or other sugars, and continue hunting prey for the larvae. Lifespan: Workers live a few weeks to a few months, while queens can live up to a year, depending on species and environmental conditions.
• Colony Decline: In tropical species like P. carnifex, colonies may persist for several months, sometimes year-round in favorable conditions. Once the new queens and males leave to mate, the old colony gradually dies off, including the original queen and workers.

Executioner wasps’ aggressive nature and large size mean that their nests can grow quickly if undisturbed, making early detection and management important for safety.