第 0975 號，共 1 402 號

Red paper wasp

Polistes canadensis

名字的由來： The species name canadensis is a New Latin word used for organisms linked to Canada, although this wasp does not live there.1

只是會痛會痛，但不會對你造成嚴重傷害。

蜜蜂、胡蜂和虎頭蜂

螫吃：肉

對人的危險: 疼痛可能會非常痛，但幾乎從來不會很嚴重。

The red paper wasp is a social wasp that builds papery nests from chewed plant fibres and saliva. It lives across much of the Neotropical region, from southern Arizona down to Argentina. Its colonies share work between many females, which makes it a useful example for scientists studying how social animals organise themselves.1

分布在

Neotropical region, from southern Arizona to Argentina, including Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Brazil and Peru1

北美洲, 南美洲

首頁

Nests are often found on human buildings, in open places on tree trunks and large limbs, and in sheltered spots such as caves, sheds and under peeling bark.1

長度

2,2 cm (0,9 in)3

一般成體大小

最高速度

大約 28 km/h（17 mph）

飛行, 粗略估計

牠吃什麼？

It is largely predatory, hunting caterpillars to feed its developing young. It also gives its larvae nectar to supplement their diet.1

Red paper wasp 的照片 — Red paper wasp。照片：Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata。 CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.

怎麼認出牠

Body is a uniform light to dark mahogany-brown, sometimes with a lighter head and thorax.1
Some individuals have a yellow edge on the front of the first abdominal segment.1
Wings are purplish black, with black or reddish-brown veins.1
It is a large paper wasp, with wings 17.0 to 24.5 mm long.1
Nests have open combs with hexagonal cells and no outer envelope.1

毒液力量

螫

毒液從螫針出來。

牠對人有多危險？

對人的危險: 疼痛可能會非常痛，但幾乎從來不會很嚴重。

如果牠螫人

把蜜蜂的螫針刮掉，然後冷敷患處。
如果傷者呼吸困難、臉部或喉嚨腫脹，或覺得快要昏倒，這就是過敏急症：打緊急電話，如果傷者有腎上腺素自動注射筆，就使用它。

一定要先打緊急電話（112、000、911）。這是一般急救指引，不是醫療建議。急救基本知識

注意安全

絕對不要碰、抓或捉弄野生動物，就算是很小的動物，就算牠看起來在睡覺或已經死了也一樣。
給牠空間。如果遇到了，保持冷靜，慢慢往後退，讓牠自己離開。
如果被牠螫了：保持冷靜，保持不動，打緊急電話（112、000、911）或趕快去醫院。記住牠的樣子，有照片會很有幫助。

牠不是想來抓你。牠用毒液來捕捉食物或保護自己，而且牠更想躲起來。更多安全知識

在世界上的哪裡？

非洲亞洲歐洲北美洲南美洲澳洲與大洋洲

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

大約跟一根迴紋針一樣長可以在 14 秒內飛過一整座足球場

Red paper wasp 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡做算術。什麼都不會儲存，也不會傳送到任何地方。

牠有多快？

一隻家蠅 大約 7 km/h (4,4 mph)

Red paper wasp 大約 28 km/h (17 mph)

一個正在衝刺的人 大約 37 km/h (23 mph)

值得知道

小知識

A single queen dominates the other females, sometimes using physical attacks that can turn into fatal battles.1

Colonies build many combs, often around 38 in total, and move brood into new combs as old ones are abandoned. This is thought to protect the colony from moth infestations.1

Male wasps follow two mating tactics: some defend territories, while smaller males patrol from tree to tree and sneak matings when they can.1

Around 56% of females drift to nearby nests, which helps protect the colony against predators. An egg has a 40% chance of being eaten by a predator before it reaches adulthood.1

Colonies are founded or abandoned at any time of year, so their development is not tied to the seasons.1

破解迷思

迷思： The species name canadensis shows that this wasp lives in Canada.

真相： Linnaeus was misinformed about where his specimen came from. In North America, this wasp only reaches as far north as southern Arizona.1

給毒液專家

學名: Polistes canadensis
類群: 蜜蜂、胡蜂和虎頭蜂
家人: Vespidae2
排序: Hymenoptera
各大洲: 北美洲, 南美洲
寶寶: Eggs are laid in hexagonal cells, and the egg-to-adult stage takes around 40 days, with broods raised year round.1
對人的危險: 2 / 5: 疼痛3