The three dots on the German wasp's face The German wasp, or European wasp, Vespula germanica, is a wasp found in much of the Northern Hemisphere, native to Europe, northern Africa, and temperate Asia. It has been introduced and is well-established in many other places, including North America, Australia and New Zealand. German wasps are part of the family Vespidae and are sometimes mistakenly referred to as paper wasps because they build a grey paper nest – although, strictly speaking, paper wasps are part of the subfamily Polistinae. It is more commonly known in North America as a yellowjacket. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixel Image in higher resolution (1600 × 1066 pixel, file size: 160 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) European Wasp on a white background. ...
Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ...
For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ...
Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - spiders,scorpions, etc. ...
Orders Subclass Apterygota Archaeognatha (bristletails) Thysanura (silverfish) Monura - extinct Subclass Pterygota Infraclass Paleoptera (may be paraphyletic) Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Megasecoptera - extinct Archodonata - extinct Diaphanopterodea - extinct Protodonata - extinct Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass Neoptera Superorder Exopterygota Caloneurodea - extinct Titanoptera - extinct Protorthoptera - extinct Grylloblattodea (ice-crawlers) Mantophasmatodea (gladiators) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Embioptera...
Suborders Apocrita Symphyta Hymenoptera is one of the larger orders of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. ...
Superfamilies Apoidea Ceraphronoidea Chalcidoidea Chrysidoidea Cynipoidea Evanioidea Ichneumonoidea Megalyroidea Proctotrupoidea Sphecoidea Stephanoidea Triganalyoidea Vespoidea Many families, see article Apocrita is a suborder of insects in the order Hymenoptera. ...
Genera The vespids are a family of wasps, including all social wasps and some solitary wasps. ...
Yellowjackets are black-and-yellow wasps of the genus Vespula or Dolichovespula. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Johann Christian Fabricius. ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 780 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1134 × 872 pixel, file size: 82 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Vespula germanica source: http://home. ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 780 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1134 × 872 pixel, file size: 82 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Vespula germanica source: http://home. ...
For other uses, see Wasp (disambiguation). ...
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planets surface (or celestial sphere) that is north of the equator (the word hemisphere literally means half ball). On the Earth, the Northern Hemisphere contains most of the land and about 90% of the human population. ...
World map showing the location of Europe. ...
North Africa is the Mediterranean, northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa. ...
World map showing the location of Asia. ...
North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ...
Genera The vespids are a family of wasps, including all social wasps and some solitary wasps. ...
In this image of a female Polistes wasp tending to a nest, a long, black petiole, by which the nest is attached to the branch, is quite apparent. ...
Polistes wasp, common name- Paper wasp. ...
Yellowjacket or yellow-jacket is the common name in North America for wasps of the genera Vespula and Dolichovespula. ...
Identification The German wasp is about ½ inch (13 mm) long, and has typical wasp colours of black and yellow. It is very similar to the common wasp (Vespula vulgaris), but seen head on, its face has three tiny black dots, thought to be horizon detectors. German wasps also have black dots on their abdomen, while the common wasp's analogous markings are fused with the black rings above them, forming a different pattern. An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, ″ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ...
A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ...
Binomial name Vespula vulgaris (Linnaeus, 1758) The common wasp, Vespula vulgaris is a wasp found in much of the Northern Hemisphere, and introduced to Australia and New Zealand. ...
Nests The nest is made from chewed plant fibres, mixed with saliva. They are generally found close to or in the ground, rather than higher up on bushes and trees like hornets. It has open cells and a petiole attaching the nest to the substrate. The wasps produce a chemical which repels ants, and secrete it around the base of this petiole in order to avoid ant predation. Saliva is the watery and usually somewhat frothy substance produced in the mouths of humans and some animals. ...
This article refers collectively to all true hornets. ...
A petiole (also called a pedicel) is the first abdominal segment of members of the Apocrita. ...
Subfamilies Aenictogitoninae Agroecomyrmecinae Amblyoponinae (incl. ...
A juvenile Red-tailed Hawk eating a California Vole In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator organism feeds on another living organism or organisms known as prey. ...
A solitary female queen starts the nest, building 20-30 cells before initial egg-laying. This phase begins in spring, depending on climatic conditions. She fashions a petiole and produce a single cell at the end of it. Six further cells are then added around this to produce the characteristic hexagonal shape of the nest cells. Meat Eater ant colony swarming Fire ants Eusociality is the phenomenon of reproductive specialization found in some animals. ...
Once the larvae have hatched as workers, they take up most of the colony’s foraging, brood care and nest maintenance. A finished nest may be 20-30 cm across and contain 3,000 individuals. A larval insect A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ...
Meat Eater ant colony swarming Fire ants Eusociality is the phenomenon of reproductive specialization found in some animals. ...
A centimetre (American spelling centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of length that is equal to one hundredth of a metre, the current SI base unit of length. ...
Each wasp colony includes one queen and a number of sterile workers. Colonies usually last only one year, all but the queen dying at the onset of winter. However, in mild climates such as New Zealand, around 10% of the colonies survive the winter. New queens and males (drones) are produced towards the end of the summer, and after mating, the queen overwinters in a crack or other sheltered location. This is a biological article: For a territory administered by another territory see: Colony For a group attempting to affiliate with a Fraternity or Sorority see: Colony (fraternity) In biology, a colony (from Latin colonia) refers to several individual organisms of the same species living closely together, usually for mutual...
This common and widespread wasp collects insects including caterpillars to feed to its larvae, and is therefore generally beneficial. The adults feed on nectar and sweet fruit, and are also attracted to human food and food waste, particularly sodas and meats. Orders Subclass Apterygota Archaeognatha (bristletails) Thysanura (silverfish) Monura - extinct Subclass Pterygota Infraclass Paleoptera (may be paraphyletic) Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Megasecoptera - extinct Archodonata - extinct Diaphanopterodea - extinct Protodonata - extinct Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass Neoptera Superorder Exopterygota Caloneurodea - extinct Titanoptera - extinct Protorthoptera - extinct Grylloblattodea (ice-crawlers) Mantophasmatodea (gladiators) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Embioptera...
Caterpillar of the Emperor Gum Moth A caterpillar is the larval form of a member of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). ...
In Greek mythology, nectar and ambrosia are the food of the gods. ...
The nests are subject to predation by the Honey Buzzard, which excavates them to obtain the larva. The hoverfly Volucella pellucens and some of its relatives lay their eggs in the wasp nest, and the larva feeds on the wasp's young. Binomial name Pernis apivorus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus) is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles and harriers. ...
Genera many genera about 5,000 species The flower flies or hoverflies are a family of flies (Diptera), scientifically termed Syrphidae. ...
Binomial name Volucella pellucens (Linnaeus, 1758) Volucella pellucens is a hover-fly. ...
Pest status Along with the closely related common wasp (pictured right) and two species of Polistes, the German wasp is considered to be a pest in New Zealand. It was probably introduced in the late 19th century, but did not appear in large numbers until around 1940.[1] It is common in the beech forest since it is one of the two wasps that feeds on the honeydew exuded by the native Beech scale insect which lives in the bark of the trees. It has a serious effect on the forest ecology since there is less honeydew available for the native birds. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (715x635, 27 KB) A photo of a flying Vespula vulgaris. ...
ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (715x635, 27 KB) A photo of a flying Vespula vulgaris. ...
Binomial name Vespula vulgaris (Linnaeus, 1758) The common wasp, Vespula vulgaris is a wasp found in much of the Northern Hemisphere, and introduced to Australia and New Zealand. ...
Wasps of the cosmopolitan genus Polistes are the most familiar of the polistine wasps, and are the most common type of paper wasp. ...
Carpet beetle larvae damaging a specimen of Sceliphron destillatorius in an entomological collection A pest is an organism which has characteristics that are regarded as injurious or unwanted. ...
Species Nothofagus alpina - Rauli Beech Nothofagus antarctica - Antarctic Beech Nothofagus betuloides - Magellanes Beech Nothofagus cunninghamii - Myrtle Beech Nothofagus dombeyi - Coigüe Beech Nothofagus fusca - Red Beech Nothofagus gunnii - Tanglefoot Beech Nothofagus menziesii - Silver Beech Nothofagus moorei - Negrohead Beech Nothofagus obliqua - Roble Beech Nothofagus pumilio - Lenga Beech Nothofagus solanderi - Black Beech...
Honeydew is a sugar-rich sticky substance secreted by aphids and some scale insects as they feed on plant sap. ...
This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...
Watching wasps return to their home at dusk is one method recommended to locate nests.
Another interesting, though odd way of tracking these yellow jackets comes from a Ralph Moody book. You hold a wiggling yellow jacket and attach a piece of cotton to it with glue and watch where it flies to. Do this with another yellow jacket and you create a V shape. Go to the V point and you've found their nest.
Further reading - Harris, R.J., Thomas, C.D., Moller, H. (1991) The influence of habitat use and foraging on the replacement of one introduced wasp species by another in New Zealand. Ecological Entomology 16:441-448.
References - ^ Pest Animal Control Bay of Plenty environment report. Retrieved 7 January 2007
The Bay of Plenty, often abbreviated to BoP, is a region in the North Island of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name. ...
is the 7th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...
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