Common wasp

Vespula vulgaris · The common wasp is a black-and-yellow social wasp that builds paper nests and lives across Europe and Asia, and has spread to New Zealand and Australia.

Common wasp
Photo: Frank Vassen from Brussels, Belgium, CC BY 2.0
Common wasp
Photo: Martin Cooper from Ipswich, UK, CC BY 2.0
Common wasp
Photo: JL Boyer, CC BY 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderHymenoptera
FamilyVespidae
GenusVespula
SpeciesVespula vulgaris

Where it lives

Across Europe and Asia; introduced to Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and Argentina.

Fun facts

  • Common wasps can recognise human faces, a skill also shown by honey bees.
  • Unlike honey bees, which die after stinging, a common wasp can sting many times.
  • On hot days, workers act like living air conditioners, using their wings as fans to cool the nest.
  • Their paper nests are made from chewed wood fibres mixed with wasp saliva.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).