Common wasp

Appearance

Adult workers of ''V. vulgaris '' measure about 12–17 mm from head to tip of abdomen, and weigh 84.1 ± 19.0 mg, whereas the queen is about 20 mm long. It has aposematic colors of black and yellow; yellow pronotal bands which are almost parallel to each other and black dots and rings on its abdomen. The queens and workers appear very similar to ''Vespula germanica'', except when they are seen head on, as the ''V. vulgaris'' face lacks the three black dots of ''V. germanica''. Instead, each has only one black mark on its clypeus, which is usually anchor or dagger-shaped. This applies to queens and workers only. In addition, identification of this species may be difficult because the black mark on its clypeus can sometimes appear broken, making it again look similar to ''V. germanica''. It is prudent to use multiple identifying characteristics and if in any doubt to consult experts.

Still more difficult to distinguish between species are the males. Almost undetectable with the naked eye, the only confident identification of ''V. vulgaris'' males is to seek the distinct aedeagus tip shapes and lateral processes of their genitalia.

Distribution

''V. vulgaris'' is a Palearctic species. It has been discovered in a wide range of countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, India, and China. It is invasive in New Zealand and Australia, and South America. Until 2010, it was thought to be in North America as well, but molecular and morphological data showed that specimens identified as ''V. vulgaris'' there were ''Vespula alascensis'', which had previously been considered a taxonomic synonym, but is now considered a separate species.

''V. vulgaris'' has high adaptation skills for environments. It flourishes in most types of habitats, including prairie, grassland, natural and planted forests, shrub lands, and even in urban zones such as gardens, orchards, and buildings. However, it does require the temperature to be moderately warm, because its foraging activity is temperature-dependent .

Status

Along with the invasive German wasp and three species of ''Polistes'', the common wasp is considered a pest species in New Zealand. It predates native insects and competes with endemic species for food, such as insects and honeydew. In some South Island beech forests it has been calculated that wasp densities are higher than anywhere else in the world, and that the total weight of common wasps may exceed that of all birds.

Behavior

Only wasps leaving the nest notice a disturbance and defend or fight off an intruder. The ones returning to the nest do not detect any disturbance and try to enter the nest. The workers that detect danger show a certain gesture – they rise onto the tips of their tarsi, put forward their heads, turn down their abdomens and constantly vibrate their wings in high frequencies and short beats. This behavior signals other workers to fly to the entrance of the nest and defend. However, if the nest is disturbed enough times, the workers stop defending the nest and instead grow tolerant to such attacks. However, when they detect life-threatening level of danger, the ''Vespula vulgaris'' workers will vigorously defend their nest. Unlike honey bees, which die after stinging, ''Vespula vulgaris'' can sting multiple times. This makes its sting viable for personal defense when away from the colony, and the common wasp is therefore more apt to sting. However, it will usually not sting without being provoked by sudden movement or other violent behavior.

Research indicates the wasps use odor to identify and attack rival wasps from other colonies, and nest odor frequently changes. ''Vespula vulgaris'' wasps have been observed aggressively competing with honey bees for the honeydew secreted by the scale insect ''Ultracoelostoma brittini'' in New Zealand's South Island black beech forests.After mating, the queen overwinters in a hole or other sheltered location, sometimes in buildings. Wasp nests are not reused from one year to the next, but in rare instances wasps have been seen to re-nest in the footprint of a removed nest or even begin building a new nest within an old nest. In the mild climate of New Zealand and Australia, a few of the colonies may survive the winter, although this is much more common with the German wasp.

Habitat

''V. vulgaris'' is a Palearctic species. It has been discovered in a wide range of countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, India, and China. It is invasive in New Zealand and Australia, and South America. Until 2010, it was thought to be in North America as well, but molecular and morphological data showed that specimens identified as ''V. vulgaris'' there were ''Vespula alascensis'', which had previously been considered a taxonomic synonym, but is now considered a separate species.

''V. vulgaris'' has high adaptation skills for environments. It flourishes in most types of habitats, including prairie, grassland, natural and planted forests, shrub lands, and even in urban zones such as gardens, orchards, and buildings. However, it does require the temperature to be moderately warm, because its foraging activity is temperature-dependent .

Food

Similarly to other ''Vespulas'', ''Vespula vulgaris'' feed on animal preys such as caterpillars to feed their developing larvae and carbohydrates, such as nectar and sweet fruits, to satisfy their own energy requirements. Their usual food sources are freshly killed insects such as Hymenoptera, lepidopteran larvae and Diptera and spiders. Common wasps will also attempt to invade honey bees' nests to steal their honey.

Although the types of prey ''Vespula vulgaris'' and ''Vespula germanica'' forage are almost the same, that of ''Vespula germanica'' are generally 2–3.5 times bigger and heavier than that of ''Vespula vulgaris''. This is mainly due to the size difference of the two species. Because the ''Vespula germanica'' foragers are bigger in morphology than those of ''Vespula vulgaris'', and they both transport the prey by carrying them, it would be advantageous for the wasp to be bigger to be able to hold larger prey.

Predators

''Vespula vulgaris'' is subject to predation by the honey buzzard, which excavates the nests to obtain the larvae. The hoverfly ''Volucella pellucens'' and some of its relatives lay their eggs in a wasp nest, and their larvae feed on the wasps' young and dead adults. Larvae of the ripiphorid beetle ''Metoecus paradoxus'' are a parasitoid of ''V. vulgaris'' larvae. Robber fly and spiders are other predators of this and many other species. A species of parasitic mite, ''Varroa destructor jacobsoni'', was found on larvae of this species in Poland in 1988.

In New Zealand a 2010 study found that an as yet unidentified predator/s is responsible for local extinction of ''Vespula'' on many offshore islands 5–7 years following eradication of introduced rodents. Studies including 36 islands have not identified the agent responsible. However, a 2020 study of 36 islands found, "no evidence for a link between rat presence and wasp abundance on islands", but that wasps were reduced by tree canopy cover by species not attracting honeydew-secreting scale insects.

Defense

The painful, though rarely life-threatening sting involves the injection of a complex venom containing amines , peptides, and proteins, including many hydrolases. The alkaline venom is quite different from bee venom, which is acidic.