Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
Common Wasp overview
The common wasp is the black-and-yellow social wasp that most Europeans picture when they hear the word wasp. Each colony lasts a single season. A queen that has hibernated through winter starts a nest of chewed wood pulp in spring, usually underground or in a roof space or wall cavity, and by late summer it may house several thousand workers. The colony dies with the first hard frosts, leaving only newly mated queens to overwinter. Common wasps are important predators of garden and farm pests, although their taste for sugar in late summer brings them into conflict with people.
| Scientific name | Vespula vulgaris |
| Also called | Common yellowjacket, European wasp, Yellowjacket |
| Class | Insecta (invertebrates) |
| Order · Family | Hymenoptera · Vespidae |
| Habitat | Woodland, Grassland, Farmland, Gardens, Towns and cities |
| Range | Native across Europe and temperate Asia; introduced to New Zealand, Australia and southern South America. Similar North American wasps are now classed as a separate species. |
How Long Do Common Wasps Live?
Common wasp workers live about 2–4 weeks as adults, while queens live about a year. Queens spend roughly half of that year hibernating in a sheltered spot such as a loft, shed or log pile. The colony is annual in its native range: workers, males and the old queen die off by early winter.
How Much Does a Common Wasp Weigh?
Common wasps weigh roughly 70–250 mg (0.002–0.009 oz). Workers are at the bottom of that range, typically under 100 mg, while queens are considerably heavier, especially in autumn when they have laid down fat for hibernation. Exact figures vary with season and food supply.
How Long Is a Common Wasp?
Common wasp workers are 12–17 mm (0.5–0.7 in) long, and queens reach about 20 mm (0.8 in). The species can be told from the very similar German wasp by the anchor-shaped black mark on its face, where the German wasp usually has three small dots.
How Long Do Common Wasps Eggs Take to Hatch?
Common wasp eggs hatch in about 5–8 days. The queen lays a single egg in each paper cell, and the legless larvae are fed chewed-up insects for around two weeks before pupating. The first workers emerge roughly a month after the queen starts the nest and take over building and foraging.
What Do Common Wasps Eat?
Adult common wasps live on sugary liquids, while their larvae are fed insects and scraps of meat. Workers hunt flies, caterpillars, aphids and spiders for the brood, and the larvae give back a sugary secretion in return. When brood rearing ends in late summer, workers lose that sugar source and turn to fruit, jam and sweet drinks.
Diet type: omnivore. Adults feed on sugars: nectar, ripe fruit, aphid honeydew and a sweet liquid produced by their own larvae. Workers catch flies, caterpillars and other insects, and scavenge meat, to feed the larvae.
Where Do Common Wasps Live?
Common wasps live in woodland, grassland, farmland, gardens and towns across Europe and temperate Asia. Nests are built in dry, enclosed spaces: old rodent burrows, hollow trees, lofts, sheds and wall cavities. The species is also an established invader in New Zealand, southeastern Australia and parts of Argentina and Chile.
Are Common Wasps Endangered?
The common wasp has not been evaluated for the IUCN Red List and is abundant across its native range. It is better known as an invasive species. In New Zealand's honeydew beech forests, common wasps reach some of the highest densities recorded anywhere and compete with native birds and insects for food.
Not Evaluated
Common Wasp fun facts
- A common wasp nest is made of paper: workers scrape wood fibers from fences and dead trees and mix them with saliva.
- A large nest can hold 5,000–10,000 workers at its late-summer peak, all daughters of a single queen.
- Wasps pester picnics in late summer because the larvae that fed them a sugary secretion have pupated, leaving workers hungry for sugar.
- Common wasps have smooth stingers, so unlike honey bee workers they can sting repeatedly without dying.
- Yellowjackets in North America that were long called Vespula vulgaris were recognized in 2010 as a separate species, Vespula alascensis.
Rankings and comparisons
Common Wasp FAQ
What is the point of wasps?
Wasps are major predators of other insects. A single colony removes large numbers of flies, caterpillars and aphids from gardens and crops over a summer. Adult wasps also visit flowers for nectar and pollinate some plants along the way.
Do wasps die after they sting?
No. A wasp's stinger is smooth, so it slides back out of the skin and the wasp can sting again. Only honey bee workers routinely die after stinging, because their barbed stinger gets stuck in mammal skin.
Why are wasps so aggressive in late summer?
By late summer the colony is at its largest, and the queen stops producing the larvae that reward workers with a sugary liquid. Thousands of workers are left searching for sugar, which draws them to fruit, drinks and outdoor meals, where they are easily provoked.
What is the difference between a wasp and a bee?
Common wasps are smooth, shiny and sharply marked in black and yellow with a narrow waist, while bees are hairier and stouter. Wasps feed their young on insects and meat, whereas bees raise their young entirely on pollen and nectar.
Do wasps come back to the same nest each year?
No. In temperate climates a common wasp nest is used for one season and never reoccupied. New queens may pick the same attic or bank the following spring because it is a good site, but they always build a fresh nest.
Related animals
Sources: Animal Diversity Web · Wikipedia · Wikidata. Reviewed 2026-09-21. Figures are typical adult ranges; individuals and populations vary. How we compile this data.