Common Wasp

Facts

• Name: Common Wasp, Vespula vulgaris
• Life cycle: Complete metamorphosis
  Egg: Laid in hexagonal cells within the paper nest.
  Larvae: Legless and fed by sterile workers. Development typically takes up to four weeks.
  Pupae: Form within the same cell and develop over approximately two weeks.
  Adult (Queen): The Queen overwinters for up to six months, emerging in mid-April to establish a new nest. Each Queen tends a single nest per season and perishes before the workers, leading to nest collapse and dispersal of the next generation of Queens.
• Description:
  Adult wasps measure 10–20 mm in length and display distinctive yellow and black banding across the body. They possess two pairs of wings, hooked together to appear as a single pair in flight. Common wasps are social insects that construct ‘paper’ nests from regurgitated wood pulp. Nests are maintained by sterile workers under the leadership of a single Queen.
• Identification Notes:
  Workers: 12–17 mm long; six abdominal segments
  Queen: ~20 mm; larger and more robust
  Facial markings: Black anchor- or dagger-shaped mark on the clypeus
  Often confused with Vespula germanica, but lacks three black dots on the face
• Habitat:

  Widespread across Britain and Northern Europe, favouring enclosed or sheltered locations. Typical nest sites include soil banks, tree cavities, wall voids, roof spaces, and abandoned burrows. Invasive populations have been recorded in New Zealand, Australia, and parts of South America.