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Vespula germanica, (Fabricius,1793) “worker” Commonly known as “German wasp” and also “yellow jacket”
Adult workers 13–20 mm in length. (Slightly larger than Vespula vulgaris).
Flight season (UK) (V. germanica worker) May to early November. In some nests, colonies may survive winter. If this occurs, the nest becomes polygynous and will reach a much larger size than in the previous year.
In warmer climates, for example in Australia; V. germanica nests can continue to grow over a number of seasons. This results in giant and a potentially dangerous nest with a population of well over 100,000 wasps.
V. germanica is a social “eusocial” ( the highest level of organisation of animal sociality) belonging to the Vespidae family. Nests are mostly underground and usually have more than one entrance, nesting sites are constructed as early as mid-April and can be found in a used mouse nest or mole hill. The nest is made from chewed wood fibre, mixed with saliva and is greyish in colour reaching a diameter of 30cm (12in). In most cases, V. germanica nests contain over 10,000 individual wasps. The workers rarely fly further than 1000m from their nest site and because of this intense invasion they dominate and out compete many other animals for food. This causes substantial harm, particularly in “newly invaded places” where native species of arthropods are established.
The workers prey on many species of insects: mostly flies are captured, but also: mosquitoes, caterpillars and spiders are all regularly taken and fed to the wasp larvae. In the summertime workers are also attracted to the sweet nectar of flowers, doing their part as pollinators; but not as efficient as bees. So arguably V. germanica could be regarded as beneficial to man, because many insects collected are considered as pests. Unfortunately, they have a taste for sugary foods. Because of this they are frequently attracted to homes, gardens and picnic areas, where they can become serious pests. They can also cause serious damage to some fruit crops.
Flowers visited:
A vast range of flowers are visited to collect pollen and nectar.
Parasites:
Female Bee Moths (Aphomia sociella) are one of the main parasites and have been known to lay their eggs in the nests of V. germanica. The hatched larvae begin by spinning a silk around themselves for protection, then will proceed to feed on the eggs, larvae, and pupae left unprotected by the wasp, sometimes destroying large parts of the nest as they tunnel throughout searching for food.
V. Germanica like V. Vulgaris were imported by humans into New Zealand and Australia. They are now classed as pests because they have impacted the ecosystem in these countries, also causing damage to fruit crops.
Read MoreAdult workers 13–20 mm in length. (Slightly larger than Vespula vulgaris).
Flight season (UK) (V. germanica worker) May to early November. In some nests, colonies may survive winter. If this occurs, the nest becomes polygynous and will reach a much larger size than in the previous year.
In warmer climates, for example in Australia; V. germanica nests can continue to grow over a number of seasons. This results in giant and a potentially dangerous nest with a population of well over 100,000 wasps.
V. germanica is a social “eusocial” ( the highest level of organisation of animal sociality) belonging to the Vespidae family. Nests are mostly underground and usually have more than one entrance, nesting sites are constructed as early as mid-April and can be found in a used mouse nest or mole hill. The nest is made from chewed wood fibre, mixed with saliva and is greyish in colour reaching a diameter of 30cm (12in). In most cases, V. germanica nests contain over 10,000 individual wasps. The workers rarely fly further than 1000m from their nest site and because of this intense invasion they dominate and out compete many other animals for food. This causes substantial harm, particularly in “newly invaded places” where native species of arthropods are established.
The workers prey on many species of insects: mostly flies are captured, but also: mosquitoes, caterpillars and spiders are all regularly taken and fed to the wasp larvae. In the summertime workers are also attracted to the sweet nectar of flowers, doing their part as pollinators; but not as efficient as bees. So arguably V. germanica could be regarded as beneficial to man, because many insects collected are considered as pests. Unfortunately, they have a taste for sugary foods. Because of this they are frequently attracted to homes, gardens and picnic areas, where they can become serious pests. They can also cause serious damage to some fruit crops.
Flowers visited:
A vast range of flowers are visited to collect pollen and nectar.
Parasites:
Female Bee Moths (Aphomia sociella) are one of the main parasites and have been known to lay their eggs in the nests of V. germanica. The hatched larvae begin by spinning a silk around themselves for protection, then will proceed to feed on the eggs, larvae, and pupae left unprotected by the wasp, sometimes destroying large parts of the nest as they tunnel throughout searching for food.
V. Germanica like V. Vulgaris were imported by humans into New Zealand and Australia. They are now classed as pests because they have impacted the ecosystem in these countries, also causing damage to fruit crops.
