Confirmation German Wasp Please

dmclean2 · #1 (**permalink**) 27-09-2008, 06:14 PM

Hi Folks,
Can anyone cofirm this as The German Wasp-Vespula germanica.
Cheers,
Duncan

Jason Green · #2 (**permalink**) 27-09-2008, 08:06 PM

It looks probable, and I believe they are active now.

I thught I had one in the garden but it turned out it was more likely to be a Median; but as I say, V.germanica is likely, though I will leave it to others to confirm...

Dogghound · #3 (**permalink**) 28-09-2008, 05:46 PM

I agree with V.germanica

Jim Ford · #4 (**permalink**) 28-09-2008, 05:59 PM

I see it's stripping wood to make pulp for its nest. I'm surprised - I would have thought it's a bit late in the year for that.

Jim

Dogghound · #5 (**permalink**) 28-09-2008, 06:01 PM

I doubt its making a nest but just maintaining and enlarging the current nest that it is part of.

eucera · #6 (**permalink**) 28-09-2008, 10:34 PM

Clearly V. germanica. However, it looks like a queen to me... was the photo taken recently or back in the Spring?

Jason Green · #7 (**permalink**) 29-09-2008, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Ford

I see it's stripping wood to make pulp for its nest. I'm surprised - I would have thought it's a bit late in the year for that.

Jim

I too have wasps stripping wood. I believe they are Medians.

eucera · #8 (**permalink**) 29-09-2008, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason Green

I too have wasps stripping wood. I believe they are Medians.

It really IS late for D. media. Most colonies would be completely finished by now and any work on the envelope of the nest would be extremely unusual this late in the year. Are you sure these ones you mention really are D. media??

Jason Green · #9 (**permalink**) 29-09-2008, 12:38 PM

Hi Eucera

I posted the wasp image a while ago thinking it was V.germanica, but you said it was more likely D.media...

Quote:

Thu August 7, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by eucera

I reckon the wasp is a male Dolichovespula media. The ocular sinus (the indentation on the inner side of the eye) is entirely yellow a feature unique to D. media among UK wasps. It would be unusual to get males of V. germanica out so early in the year (usually in October)

Given that the same area is still being chewed I assumed it was the same wasp. Maybe those now are V. germanica then??

I also had this slightly older image than the one included above...

I realise though that without an image of the current wasp it could even be just V. vulgaris...

eucera · #10 (**permalink**) 29-09-2008, 12:53 PM

The first wasp is certainly a male... and I am still pretty sure that it is D. media. Males don't chew wood though as they have no housekeeping duties to do.... so I am a bit puzzled as to what it was doing at the place you photographed it.

The second pic you show is not the same individual, and as far as I can see it is a worker. I would not be sure of species as I can't see the key features, but it doesn't look very like D. media.