Vespula vulgaris

SPECIES: Vespula vulgaris ( order Hymenoptera )

COMMON NAME: Common wasp

SIZE: adults are approximately 17 mm, while the queen is larger and can exceed 20 mm.

LIFECYCLE: eggs hatch about 10-14 days after laying. After about 14 days, the young come out of their cells as small adults, already able to procure food.

FEATURES: not aggressive, only reacts if the nest is touched in some way. Aposematic colouring with black and yellow bands making it similar to the Vespula germanica, from which it differs mainly in the black stripes of abdominal tergites, which are triangular in shape and pointing towards the rear.Their nest is never more than 10-15 cm in diameter.

HABITAT: nests often in very sunny places, under shingles, gutters, holes in metal sections, etc.

DIET: the wasps feed on both sugary substances of various kinds (adults) and protein (meat, fish, decaying organic material, insects) of which feed on the larvae.

DAMAGE: As in the case of wasps and bees, its sting has only localised, transient effects on most people, but allergic people may suffer anaphylactic reactions that are almost always deadly.

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