If you’ve seen a big, intimidating wasp in your Florida yard and someone told you it was an “executioner wasp,” you can relax a little. The executioner wasp (Polistes carnifex) is not established in Florida or anywhere else in the United States. It’s a large paper wasp native to Central and South America, and it became famous through viral sting-rating videos filmed in Costa Rica.
For non-aggressive wasps I've had great luck spraying nests with this Spectracide wasp remover in the evening. For a nest up high in an eave, soffit, or tree, this Gotcha pole adapter clamps onto the can so you can spray from the end of an extension pole and treat the nest from 10+ feet away instead of standing right under it. And for anything aggressive I wear this ridiculous-looking upper torso beekeeping suit and keep my distance. It seems silly, but trust me, I learned the hard way.
Florida does have several large wasps that look impressive enough to be mistaken for it. This page explains what the executioner wasp really is, why it’s unlikely to turn up in your yard, and which Florida wasps you’re probably seeing. For the full species profile and details of its famous sting, see our executioner wasp complete guide.
The executioner wasp is a paper wasp, in the same genus (Polistes) as the paper wasps that nest under Florida eaves. What sets it apart:
A note on names: you may see the scientific name Pseudomasaris vespoides attached to “executioner wasp” online. That’s a mistake. Pseudomasaris vespoides is a pollen wasp from the western US. It feeds its young on flower pollen, not insects, and it isn’t aggressive. It has nothing to do with the executioner wasp.
No breeding populations of Polistes carnifex are known in Florida or the rest of the US. Florida does sometimes receive non-native insects through ports and plant shipments, so a stray specimen arriving on cargo isn’t impossible. But there’s no evidence that the species lives or nests here, and a Florida homeowner is extremely unlikely ever to meet one.
If you believe you’ve found a genuinely unusual wasp, take a clear photo and contact your county’s UF/IFAS Extension office. They can identify it and flag it if it really is non-native.
The closest relatives of the executioner wasp in Florida are its fellow Polistes paper wasps. Red wasps are large, reddish-brown paper wasps that nest under eaves, in sheds, and on screened lanais. They’re among the most common causes of stings around Florida homes. They defend their nests readily, and their sting is genuinely painful. Guinea paper wasps and other brown and yellow Polistes species are also common. See paper wasps in Florida.
Sting risk: moderate to high near the nest.
Florida’s main yellowjacket is small, but it causes a lot of trouble. Colonies nest in the ground or in wall voids, can get very large, and in parts of the state sometimes survive the mild winter. When people describe an “extremely aggressive” wasp swarming out of the ground, this is usually what they’ve found. See our yellow jacket guide.
Sting risk: high. Colonies defend in numbers.
These are the largest wasps most Floridians will see, up to about 1½ inches long, with rust-colored wings and a black body with yellow bands. They dig burrows in sandy soil and can look terrifying, but they’re solitary and very unlikely to sting. Males, which can’t sting at all, are the ones that buzz at people. See cicada killer wasps in Florida and killer wasps in Florida.
Sting risk: very low.
Large, dark, solitary wasps, such as the all-black great black wasp, blue-black spider wasps, and the big hairy scoliid wasps that hunt beetle grubs in lawns, are common around Florida flowers and gardens. They’re large and conspicuous, but they have no nest to defend and rarely sting unless handled.
Sting risk: low.
| What you see | Most likely wasp |
|---|---|
| Reddish-brown wasp with dangling legs, nest under eaves or on the lanai | Red wasp or other paper wasp |
| Small, fast, bright yellow and black, coming out of a hole in the ground | Southern yellowjacket |
| Huge wasp with amber wings, digging holes in sandy soil | Cicada killer |
| Large, solid black wasp on flowers | Great black wasp |
| Big, hairy wasp with yellow or orange spots, patrolling low over the lawn | Scoliid wasp |
For a broader walkthrough, see giant wasp identification and the Florida wasps guide.
The executioner wasp is a real and genuinely painful stinger, but it lives in Central and South America, not Florida. The big wasp in your Florida yard is far more likely to be a red wasp, a yellowjacket, or a harmless cicada killer. Knowing which one it is tells you whether to call a professional or simply leave it alone.
For a complete overview of wasp species found across North America, see our Wasp Identification: Complete Homeowner Guide.
Related identification guides:
More Florida wasp guides: