Dolichovespula sylvestris
Forest Wasp ( Dolichovespula sylvestris)
The wood wasp ( Dolichovespula sylvestris ) is a real wasp of the genus Dolichovespula ( Dolichovespula ).
Features
The queens of this kind reach a body length of 15 to 19 millimeters, workers are 13 to 15 millimeters long, drones 14 to 16 millimeters. The drawing on the clypeus is only slightly variable. The species is to be distinguished unambiguously from the other Dolichovespula only by genital examinations.
Occurrence
The species are found in North Africa, Europe and Asia. The northern distribution extends to the south of Scandinavia. Forest wasps colonize sparse forests, but also open habitats and human settlement area. The animals fly from early May to mid-September, with workers occur from the end of May, queens and the new generation of drones in mid-July.
Way of life
The forest wasps lay their nests similar to the Saxon wasp ( Dolichovespula saxonica ) hanging freely in a protected location and also in or on houses, lofts, etc.. Occasionally, they are also applied in bushes and burrows. The gray colored nests are made of weathered wood and reach a diameter of up to 25 centimeters. They consist of separate ring segments and have no air pockets. The nests are usually made of three to six honeycomb, the edges of which are bent as well as up to 900 cells. Maximum colonize approximately 800 individuals a nest, with which about 300 workers. The people developed relatively quickly in the forest wasp. The species is parasitized by the Forest cuckoo wasp ( Dolichovespula omissa ).