Species: Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
Family: Wasps (VESPIDAE)
Category: Insects (Other)
Location: Widespread
A. Insects (Other)
More extensive information on insects can be found in a separate blog post.
B. Wasps (VESPIDAE)
Wasps have a slender, smooth body, and legs with relatively few hairs. Some are social and some solitary. In social wasps’ nests there is one breeding female only, the queen. Hornets are the largest of the social wasps, usually building papery nests in hollow trees. Despite their large size, they are not particularly aggressive, and should just be left alone. They are mostly brown and yellow, whereas most wasps are black and yellow. Wasps have biting mouthparts and antennae with 12 or 13 segments. They are normally winged. Unlike bees, wasps have pointed lower abdomens, and a narrow ‘waist’ separating the abdomen from the thorax. They are generally predatory or parasitic, and their stingers have few barbs, making them easy to pull out of victims so they can sting again. As key predators of other invertebrates they are extremely important in maintaining a balanced ecosystem.
The large Vespidae family includes nearly all the social wasp species.
C. Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
Our best known wasp has a characteristic pattern of yellow and black bands down the abdomen and an anchor-shaped mark on its face.
Images
Common Wasp
The Common Wasp has a characteristic pattern of yellow and black bands down the abdomen and an anchor-shaped mark on its face.
Common Wasp
As key predators of other invertebrates wasps are extremely important in maintaining a balanced ecosystem. This one was photographed in the cemetery in mid-December.
