Vespula vulgaris

Common Wasp ( Vespula vulgaris)

The Common Wasp ( Vespula vulgaris ) is a species of wasp of the genus Vespula ( Vespula ) and thus belongs to the genuine wasps ( Vespinae ). In addition to the German wasp ( Vespula germanica ) is one of the common wasp species in Central Europe.

• 3.1 With regard to the human
• 3.2 With regard to ecological balance

Features

The queens of Commons wasp up to 20 millimeters long. The workers are eleven to fourteen millimeters significantly smaller. The drones reach body lengths of thirteen to seventeen millimeters. From the very similar German wasp Vespula vulgaris can be distinguished by the drawing on the front plate ( clypeus ).

While the German wasp, has there one to three linearly arranged black dots or a small straight, often slightly broken black line, is located on the faceplate of Commons wasp a wide black line that thickens toward the bottom. The yellow and black abdomen drawing is highly variable and therefore does not allow species identification to secure.

Way of life

Nutrition

The adults ( imagoes ) feed mainly on nectar vegetarian and other sugary plant sap. The larvae are fed with chewed to a pulp insects or other animal protein. When foraging, the commons wasps often find an on cake or other sugary foods of humans and can be distribute by this time discovered for themselves a source of food is difficult again.

Nesting

From mid-April to fertilized females, the queens, are observed in the nest and search for food. As a food source used during this period, for example, the nectar of willow flowers. After about two to three weeks, food intake and Nistplatzsuche builds the common wasp nest from chewed, eingespeichelten wood fibers in dark, protected places.

Often the nests are laid out underground in mice or Maulwurfbauten that are expanded with increasing nest size. In the vernacular, the inhabitants of these nests are called " Erdwespen ". But even attics, roller shutters or other dark cavities and in buildings are used for nest building. The initial nest consists of seven brood combs ( one in the middle, six honeycomb around it ), which are hanging upside down stuck on the cave ceiling and surrounded by a spherical nest envelope.

National Foundation

In the brood combs the queen lays an egg she with sperm from the seminal receptacle ( bag seed ) fertilized shortly before oviposition in which she wears a sperm storage from the last fall with each. The brood care and nest-building take place in this phase by the left to its queen. The larvae are fed by her with a slurry of chewed insects. After feeding, the larvae pass from a sugary liquid drops, which in turn serves to feed the queen and the larvae is the only way to dispense liquid. Shortly before pupation, the larvae pass from feces. This prevents that it comes in the nest due to contamination with excrement to rotting. By exuded by the queen pheromones develop from the larvae no new fertilisable females, but only infertile workers, to which the Queen hands over the continued construction of the nest and the food supply. The Queen is dedicated to thereafter only in reproduction. The workers put in more levels of brood combs.

Wasps State

Their number and thus the size of the cavity increases and grows rapidly as a rule on 3000-4000 individuals. Very large nations may also include up to 10,000 individuals in extreme cases up to 50,000.

The entire state is organized labor, which means that the individuals are employed either to build their nest, the cells clean, the larvae feeding, care of the queen or the food supply. Parental care is so intense as in the bees. In contrast to these, there are no wasps in the waggle dance to communicate in terms of distance and direction of a possible food source.

Due to a reduced pheromone release by the Queen and the improved supply of larvae develop in late summer or autumn fertile females, the queens of the new generation. From unfertilized eggs develop into males (drones ), which die after mating develop. To avoid inbreeding, some of the males leave the nest and search for fertile females from other nations in order to mate with them.

Destruction and new beginning

The old queen dies usually in late autumn and their wasps State dissolves then. In cold snap die, the last homeless workers of the old state. Only the fertilized young queens seek a protected hiding place. In a suitable microclimate such as rotten wood, in cavities under bark or moss then survive the winter sleeping in a winter torpor, diapause is called. The following spring the young queen then founded a new state, by then she begins to build their nest in a suitable place.

Attack and Defense

To overwhelm and paralysis of a possible insect prey or for defense of a troublemaker or attacker wasps use their sting, which has, unlike the bees do not have barbs. Therefore, they can sting as often and thereby inject their venom. The sting reflex is even when parted, or just dead animals still exist.

See also: Insect Bite

Harmful effect

As for the people

Together with the German wasp that shares the passion for food and drink of the people, the common wasp has caused the generally bad reputation of the wasps. The common wasp is considered nuisance. In addition, the two species in addition to their persistence are also very aggressive and unpredictable when, for example, inadvertently approaches their nest or they feel threatened by violent movements. In their random alarm pheromones are released that attract other animals and encourage them to sting. The poison causes some people have an allergic reaction.

With regard to ecological balance

In the early 1980s were inadvertently sequentially first introduced the German Wasp and later the common wasp in New Zealand. Due to the lack of local natural enemies and one, at least in some regions, mild year-round climate, both wasp species have multiplied rapidly in their new home. The Common Wasp has been dragged in front of her German wasp almost completely displaced. The common wasp colonies formed in New Zealand with more than 100,000 individuals and looted all other insects that can overwhelm them in the crowns of trees or on the forest floor. Thus, it has become there a significant risk to native species.