Northern Paper Wasp (Polistes fuscatus)
(c) Alex Shure, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Alex Shure · CC BY-NC 4.0 (opens in a new tab) · iNaturalist (opens in a new tab)
Bees, wasps and antsIn Summit County, Ohio

Northern Paper Wasp

Polistes fuscatus (Fabricius, 1793)

Northern Paper Wasp in all of Ohio
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Insecta
Family
Vespidae
Near Summit County

Range

Where it is recorded

Season shown in 3 of Ohio's 88 counties. Explore Ohio

  • No result yet (20)
  • Recorded, too few records for a result (50)
  • Recorded, season not shown (15)
  • Season shown (3)
Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files, 1:500,000. Show as a table
Counties as a table
Northern Paper Wasp by Ohio county: records and mapped range
CountyRecords
Adams CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Allen CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Ashland CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Ashtabula County20 · Recorded, season not shown
Athens County29 · Recorded, season not shown
Auglaize CountyNo qualifying records yet
Belmont CountyNo qualifying records yet
Brown CountyNo qualifying records yet
Butler County72 · Recorded, season not shown
Carroll CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Champaign CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Clark CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Clermont CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Clinton CountyNo qualifying records yet
Columbiana CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Coshocton CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Crawford CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Cuyahoga County111 · Recorded, season not shown
Darke CountyNo qualifying records yet
Defiance CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Delaware County21 · Recorded, season not shown
Erie CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Fairfield CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Fayette CountyNo qualifying records yet
Franklin County129 · Season shown
Fulton CountyNo qualifying records yet
Gallia CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Geauga County27 · Recorded, season not shown
Greene CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Guernsey CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Hamilton County111 · Recorded, season not shown
Hancock CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Hardin CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Harrison CountyNo qualifying records yet
Henry CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Highland CountyNo qualifying records yet
Hocking CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Holmes CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Huron CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Jackson CountyNo qualifying records yet
Jefferson CountyNo qualifying records yet
Knox CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Lake County27 · Recorded, season not shown
Lawrence CountyNo qualifying records yet
Licking County24 · Recorded, season not shown
Logan CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Lorain County30 · Recorded, season not shown
Lucas County108 · Season shown
Madison CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Mahoning CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Marion CountyNo qualifying records yet
Medina County38 · Recorded, season not shown
Meigs CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Mercer CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Miami CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Monroe CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Montgomery County32 · Recorded, season not shown
Morgan CountyNo qualifying records yet
Morrow CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Muskingum CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Noble CountyNo qualifying records yet
Ottawa CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Paulding CountyNo qualifying records yet
Perry CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Pickaway CountyNo qualifying records yet
Pike CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Portage County26 · Recorded, season not shown
Preble CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Putnam CountyNo qualifying records yet
Richland CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Ross CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Sandusky CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Scioto CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Seneca CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Shelby CountyNo qualifying records yet
Stark County30 · Recorded, season not shown
Summit County77 · Season shown
Trumbull CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Tuscarawas CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Union CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Van Wert CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Vinton CountyNo qualifying records yet
Warren CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Washington CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Wayne CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Williams CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Wood County28 · Recorded, season not shown
Wyandot CountyRecorded, too few records for a result

No mapped range from the range source used, the USGS Gap Analysis Project, which maps land vertebrates only.

Season

When it is recorded

In Summit County

Late April to late October, middle week Aug 23–29

Show over the bars
Recording in Summit County · records of all species each week, 106,876 in all

Records per week from 77 records in 10 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Shows when people recorded it, not how common it is. The grey bars show how many records of all species were made here each week, so you can see when recording itself was high or low; the season is not adjusted by them.

Recorded on 73 dates. Latest record: November 2025.

Show as a table
Records of Northern Paper Wasp in Summit County each week, and records of all species
WeekRecords of Northern Paper WaspYears recordedRecords of all species
Jan 4–1000711
Jan 11–1700665
Jan 18–2400601
Jan 25–3100526
Feb 1–700608
Feb 8–1400619
Feb 15–2100629
Feb 22–2800748
Mar 1–700728
Mar 8–1400852
Mar 15–21001,055
Mar 22–28001,007
Mar 29 – Apr 4001,005
Apr 5–11001,654
Apr 12–18212,454
Apr 19–25002,699
Apr 26 – May 2333,970
May 3–9533,569
May 10–16224,053
May 17–23223,509
May 24–30004,045
May 31 – Jun 6222,874
Jun 7–13003,158
Jun 14–20003,796
Jun 21–27223,501
Jun 28 – Jul 4333,968
Jul 5–11323,632
Jul 12–18114,051
Jul 19–25113,855
Jul 26 – Aug 1002,908
Aug 2–8333,828
Aug 9–15113,583
Aug 16–22553,535
Aug 23–29742,939
Aug 30 – Sep 5752,840
Sep 6–12952,758
Sep 13–19322,761
Sep 20–26322,646
Sep 27 – Oct 3112,089
Oct 4–10112,317
Oct 11–17431,944
Oct 18–24211,314
Oct 25–31221,272
Nov 1–711786
Nov 8–1400761
Nov 15–2100654
Nov 22–2811703
Nov 29 – Dec 500503
Dec 6–1211447
Dec 13–1900496
Dec 20–2600522
Dec 27 – Jan 200728

Reported as an adult

Only 14 records here are marked as adults, too few to show a adult season. One needs at least 20 records from 5 different years.

Reported as a larva

No records here are marked as larvae yet, so there is no larva season to show. One needs at least 20 records from 5 different years.

In Ohio

Mid-April to late October, middle week Sep 6–12

Show over the bars
Recording in Ohio · records of all species each week, 1,691,199 in all

Records per week from 1,551 records in 10 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Shows when people recorded it, not how common it is. The grey bars show how many records of all species were made here each week, so you can see when recording itself was high or low; the season is not adjusted by them.

Recorded on 823 dates. Latest record: November 2025.

Show as a table
Records of Northern Paper Wasp in Ohio each week, and records of all species
WeekRecords of Northern Paper WaspYears recordedRecords of all species
Jan 4–10116,211
Jan 11–17005,146
Jan 18–24114,645
Jan 25–31004,698
Feb 1–7116,023
Feb 8–14115,888
Feb 15–21005,436
Feb 22–28116,846
Mar 1–7328,321
Mar 8–142210,384
Mar 15–213212,620
Mar 22–284213,949
Mar 29 – Apr 410619,661
Apr 5–1112526,860
Apr 12–1827839,925
Apr 19–2513641,623
Apr 26 – May 216756,391
May 3–926852,952
May 10–1616753,785
May 17–2326857,698
May 24–3020854,651
May 31 – Jun 616853,099
Jun 7–139753,700
Jun 14–2024756,625
Jun 21–2721755,361
Jun 28 – Jul 4331058,477
Jul 5–1132861,336
Jul 12–1833964,722
Jul 19–2536969,753
Jul 26 – Aug 135959,416
Aug 2–836859,712
Aug 9–1551955,994
Aug 16–22451054,328
Aug 23–29701051,772
Aug 30 – Sep 596957,167
Sep 6–121461059,075
Sep 13–19142954,543
Sep 20–261171045,860
Sep 27 – Oct 3152943,180
Oct 4–10961037,841
Oct 11–1747930,824
Oct 18–2448821,156
Oct 25–3136719,021
Nov 1–716714,172
Nov 8–1419612,621
Nov 15–21337,965
Nov 22–28328,136
Nov 29 – Dec 5326,083
Dec 6–12216,004
Dec 13–19005,423
Dec 20–26115,661
Dec 27 – Jan 2008,459

Reported as an adult

Usually reported as an adult mid-April to late October, middle week Sep 6–12.

From 257 records that are marked as adults. Not every photo is marked with a life stage, so this shows when people reported it as an adult, not when adults are about.

Reported as a larva

No records here are marked as larvae yet, so there is no larva season to show. One needs at least 20 records from 5 different years.

What these results show

These results show when people recorded a species, not when or where it occurs. Missing weeks and low counts do not mean absence or scarcity, and counts are not abundance. Contributed records reflect where, when and what people chose to observe.

Relatives

In the same genus

Other Polistes recorded in Summit County

Identification

How to identify it

Telling it apart

From what Ohio’s records show. Only what the records support is shown.

Often confused with

  • Metric Paper Wasp Polistes metricusOften confused in Ohio: 90 identifications in Ohio named one where the other was meant
  • Parametric Paper Wasp Polistes parametricusOften confused in Ohio: 11 identifications in Ohio named one where the other was meant
  • European Paper Wasp Polistes dominula349 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
  • Guinea Paper Wasp Polistes exclamans177 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant

From iNaturalist’s similar-species counts, refreshed monthly: confusions in Ohio first, then worldwide. Only species with an Ohio result are listed.

Land cover where it is recorded

Land coverIts recordsAll Ohio records
Developed77%49%
Farmland11%11%
Forest8%31%
Wetland4%5%
Grassland and shrub0.3%0.9%
Barren0.1%0.6%
Open water0.1%3%

From 892 records placed within 100 m, beside all Ohio records placed the same way. People record where they go, so this shows where records come from, not where the species lives. Land cover: USGS Annual NLCD, 2025 (opens in a new tab)

Sources

Where these results come from

  • Records from iNaturalist research-grade observations and expert-identified GBIF datasets, CC0, CC BY and CC BY-NC. Sources
  • Seasons use the published method and its evidence thresholds. Methods
  • See it on iNaturalist (opens in a new tab)OpenPhenology is independent and not affiliated with iNaturalist.

Records behind the Summit County result

77 records from 1 dataset.

To cite: the GBIF download doi:10.15468/dl.y2jkt8 (opens in a new tab).

A spreadsheet (CSV) with a link to each record, on iNaturalist or GBIF. Records whose location was hidden by the observer or the source are counted but not linked.