Polistes gallicus (Linnaeus, 1761)
Family: Vespidae, Subfamily: Polistinae.
Length 10 to 16mm
Family: Vespidae
Season: April to October.
Polistes gallicus, is a species of social paper wasps, being one of about 200 species of wasps, in the genus Polistes.
This Paper wasp is sometimes referred to, as the “French Paper Wasp.”
This is the most common and widely distributed wasp species of Polistes, throughout Spain, France and the warmer countries of Europe, more common in countries close to the Mediterranean Sea.
To help to separate the species from P. dominula, P. gallicus has yellow or at least a yellow spot on their mandibles, where as P. dominula has entirely black mandibles and is smaller in size, (around 9 to 13mm).
entirely black mandibles
After over wintering, the queen will emerge to start building her nest in spring. She uses an oral secretion (a combination of saliva and chewed plant fibres) to construct her nest.
The texture of the nest, looks more like a greased carboard structure, which is very effective from harsh weather conditions. Nests are constructed with each hexagonal shaped cell, facing downwards. Usually out in a open sunny location, fixed to a secure part of a bush, plant or upright structure. In cooler climates, nests are usually built in more sheltered locations, such as inside pipes, under or inside wooden, plastic or metal objects, giving the wasps more protection, in the adverse weather conditions.
The nest size, is usually around 10 to 15cms in diameter.
As soon as the nest is finished, she will start laying her eggs. She will also be busy providing each larva cell, a supply of food. Eggs hatch within 10 to 14 days, depending on the temperature. They go through 5 instar changes before pupating, metamorphosis can take up to another 12 to 14 days, The first to emerge from the cells are mainly her daughters, who take on the task as “the workers”. The small adults are able to search for food for themselves, and start to defend and maintain the nest, as soon as they emerge from their cells.
In time, the original queen will be replaced, by the second most dominant female in the nest. This then ensures that the younger dominant queen is able to continue the productive “Colony cycle”. Dominance in females is determined by the markings on her clypeus (face), male dominance is shown by the variation of spots on their abdomens.
Sometimes more than one queen will be foundresses of the nest and it is the one that is able to lay the most fertile eggs, that will become the dominant Queen; the other remaining foundresses become subordinate and will continue to work in the colony.
Paper wasps have a “lek” mating system (“lek” is an aggregation of male animals gathered to engage in a competitive display, to entice a female of the same species to mate).
In late summer a shortage of female workers becomes evident as only males and future foundresses are produced, they will frequently group together (called a hibernaculum) to overwinter; this then leads to the original colony disbanding. Hibernation rarely takes place on former nest sites.
Habitat: Various open spaces with plenty of flowering plants, including meadows, grasslands, woodland edges and wastelands.
The adult wasp has a varied diet including nectar, pollen and various sweet fruits. Protein is obtained from dead corpses and various decaying organic material; will also hunt various insects including, caterpillars and small spiders, all of which are also frequently fed to their brood.
Ants are a constant danger to colonies in their early days, as they will take the opportunity to feed on the larvae and pupae.