Wasp - with red marks

Jason Green · #1 (**permalink**) 19-11-2007, 05:11 PM

Can you ID this wasp?

It was a bit bigger than the usual common ones I see and a bit more orange. The red markings may be significant.

Thanks

eucera · #2 (**permalink**) 19-11-2007, 05:14 PM

It's a queen of the wasp Dolichovespula media - new to UK in 1980, and now widespread throughout England, and into Southern Scotland. This has been a very good year for them

They nest in exposed places, constructing the nests in trees or bushes. The season finishes in late August or early September. The queens hibernate and emerge the following spring.

demicav · #3 (**permalink**) 19-11-2007, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason Green

Can you ID this wasp?

It was a bit bigger than the usual common ones I see and a bit more orange. The red markings may be significant.

Thanks

Good pic, I've never seen one of these before.

Jason Green · #4 (**permalink**) 19-11-2007, 05:27 PM

Thanks. I hadn't either.

Jason Green · #5 (**permalink**) 19-11-2007, 05:34 PM

Just found a few pics of the workers - same location but another day...

Cropped Macros.

eucera · #6 (**permalink**) 19-11-2007, 05:47 PM

Ahaa! These are males rather than workers, and I'm not convinced they are the same species at all. They have a very round face (typical of Vespula rather than Dolichovespula) and are, I'm sure, males of Vespula vulgaris.

The males of D. media are about in July and August.

Jason Green · #7 (**permalink**) 19-11-2007, 05:53 PM

Thanks. Embarrasing... I don't know much about wasps

Dogghound · #8 (**permalink**) 19-11-2007, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eucera

Ahaa! These are males rather than workers, and I'm not convinced they are the same species at all. They have a very round face (typical of Vespula rather than Dolichovespula) and are, I'm sure, males of Vespula vulgaris.

The males of D. media are about in July and August.

You probrably know more about this than me, but howcome on the face of this wasp it looks like V.germanica with the small dots as oppose to V.vulgaris which has a down pointing arrow on its face, yet the abdomen looks more like V.vulgaris. Why is that? do they vary alot? or is it due to it being male?

paulchandler6 · #9 (**permalink**) 19-11-2007, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eucera

It's a queen of the wasp Dolichovespula media - new to UK in 1980, and now widespread throughout England, and into Southern Scotland. This has been a very good year for them

Is this another continental species that has colonised Britain?

Paul

eucera · #10 (**permalink**) 19-11-2007, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dogghound

You probrably know more about this than me, but howcome on the face of this wasp it looks like V.germanica with the small dots as oppose to V.vulgaris which has a down pointing arrow on its face, yet the abdomen looks more like V.vulgaris. Why is that? do they vary alot? or is it due to it being male?

The facial markings are just one of a suite of things I would look at - each of which is variable to a greater or lesser extent. Things can, as you suggest, be a tad more tricky with males.